A 

A 

0 
0 
1 
1 

7 

7 

o 

HERNREGIi 

CD 

1 
0 
9 

4 

FACILITY 

UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA 
AT  LOS  ANGELES 


HOW  MANHATTAN  IS  GOVERNED 


ILLUSTRA.TRD  WITH   58   PHOTOGRAPHS  AND   DRAWINGS 


FACTS  YOU  SHOULD  KNOW  ABOUT  THE 
ADMINISTRATION  OF  THE  BOROUGH  OF  MANHATTAN 


PREPARED   AND   PUBLISHED 

BY 

THE  BUREAU  OF  CITY   BETTERMENT 

OF  THE 

CITIZENS  UNION   OF  THE   CITY    OF  NEW  YORK. 
1906 


PRICE,  25  CENTS 


HOW  MANHATTAN  IS  GOVERNED 


ILLUSTRATED  WITH  58  PHOTOGRAPHS  AND   DRAWINGS 


FACTS  YOU  SHOULD  KNOW  ABOUT  THE 
ADMINISTRATION  OF  THE  BOROUGH  OF  MANHATTAN 


PREPARED  AND   PUBLISHED 

BY 

THE  BUREAU  OF   CITY   BETTERMENT 

OF   THE 

CITIZENS  UNION   OF  THE   CITY   OF  NEW  YORK. 
1906 


^&1 


THE   BUREAU   OF  CITY   BETTERMENT 

CITIZENS    UNION 
254  Fourth  Avenue,  New  York. 


com:mittee. 

coi^.  chas.  h.  jones  r.  fulton  cutting 

john  j.  murphy  isaac  s.  wheaton 

JAMES  B.   REYNOLDS,  Chairman  HENRY    BRUIJRE,    Secretary 


s)   b 


IIA 
Y 


CONTENTS. 

1.  Digest. 

2.  Introduction. 

3.  Borough  President :    Historical  Statement. 

4.  Chart  of  Organization. 

5.  The  Borough  President  and  His  Staff. 

6.  Financial  Statement  of  the  Borough  of  Manhattan. 

7.  Bureau  of  Highways. 

8.  Purchase  of  Supplies  Without  Contracts. 

9.  Bureau  of  Public  Buildings  and  Offices. 

10.  Public  Baths  in  Manhattan  and  Brooklyn. 

11.  Bureau  of  Sewers. 


DIGEST. 

I.  Introduction. 

1.  The  pamphlet  relates  to  the  administration  of  the  Borough  of  Man. 

hattan  1904- 1905. 

2.  The  pamphlet  presents  facts  relative  to  the  administration  of  the 

borough  and  offers  suggestions  for  improvement  along  specific 
lines. 

II.  History  of  the  Office  of  Borough  President. 

1.  Established   by    charter,    1897.      Borough   president     member    of 

board  of  public  improvements  with  vote  limited  to  matters  af- 
fecting his  borough. 

2.  Powers  extended  by  charter  of  1900  and  abolition  of  board  of  pub- 

lic improvements ;  made  member  of  the  Board  of  Estimate  and 
Apportionment  and  given  control  of  public  works  in  his 
borough. 

III.  Biographies. 

1.  John  F.  Ahearn,  President  of  the  Borough  of  Manhattan,  1904 — 

a.  District   leader   in   Tammany   Hall ;    holder   of   public   office   the 

greater  part  of  his  life ;  politician  of  local  power. 

b.  Selects    as    his    aides    associates    in    practical    politics ;    makes 

allegiance  to  his  political  organization  the  test  for  promotion 
among  his  subordinates. 

c.  Member   of   the   Assembly   and    Senate   for   many   years ;    advo- 

cate in  the  Legislature  of  measures  in  behalf  of  the  teachers 
and  firemen  of  New  York  City;  sponsor  in  the  Legislature 
for  many  objectionable  measures. 

2.  William  Dalton,  Commissioner  of  Public  Works. 

a.  District  leader  in  Tammany  Hall ;  holder  of  many  public  offices ; 

carpenter  and  butcher  by  trade ;  sponsor  as  commissioner  of 
Water  Supply  for  Ramapo  scheme. 

b.  Technically  incompetent  to  administer  bureaus  charged  with  pub- 

lic works. 

3.  Bernard  Downing,  Secretary  of  the  Borough  of  Manhattan, 
a.  Popular  young  man  on  the  East  Side. 

4.  John  V.  Coggey,  Superintendent  of  Sewers. 

a.  District   leader   in   Tammany    Hall;    dry   goods    clerk;    machine 
politician ;  alderman. 

5.  George  F.  Scannell,  Superintendent  of  Highways. 

a.  District  leader  in  Tammany  Hall;  pi-actical  politician  and  office 
holder. 

6.  William  H.  Walker,  Superintendent  of  Public  Buildings  and  Ofifices. 
a.  Contractor ;  politician. 

7.  Edward  S.  Murphy,  Superintendent  of  Buildings, 
a.  Member  of  Tammany  Hall ;  contractor. 

IV.  Finances  of  the  Borough  President. 

I.  Budget  appropriation   for : 

1902-1903        $3,447,999.53 
1904-1905  3,994,09401 


2.  Street  improvement  fund   for  assessment  work: 

iyO2-i903        $   917,136.23 
1904-190S  1,333,334-09 

3.  Stock  issues : 

1902-1903        $7,904,332.27 
1904- 1905  4,287,020.00 

4.  Special  Revenue  Bond  Issues : 

1902-1903  $350,500.00 

1904-1905  628,650.00 

5.  Analysis   of  the  payroll   of  the  office  of  the  borough  president, 

June  I,  1906,  showing: 

a.  A  total  of  2,004  employees  and  an  estimated  annual  payroll  of 

over  $2,000,000. 

b.  Average  term   of   service   of   civil   service  employees   under   the 

borough  president,  7.66  years. 

Bureau  of  Highways. 

1.  The  most  important  bureau  under  the  borough  president. 

a.  Value  of  Manhattan  pavements  many  millions  of  dollars. 

b.  Condition  of  the  pavement  bears  directly  upon  health. 

c.  Defective  pavements  expose  city  to  suits  for  damages. 

2.  Asphalt  pavements. 

a.  President    Ahearn    revised    asphalt    specifications,    limiting    the 

material  available  for  asphalt  pavement  in   Manhattan  to  two 
or  three  cements. 

b.  This  restriction  has  not  af^'ected  the  price  of  asphalt;  price   in 
1905  lowest  in  five  years. 

c.  Prices  in  various  cities  in   1905. 

d.  Long  guarantee  results  in  increased  initial  price. 
•     e.  Guarantee  period  reduced  in  Manhattan. 

f.  Possible   that   asphalt   specifications    are   not    fulfilled    by   paving 

companies;  bureau  of  highways  in  no  position  to  determine. 

g.  4-27.90  miles  of  paved  streets  in  Manhattan. 

h.  Statement  showing  kinds  of  pavement  and  amounts. 

i.  The  several  kinds  of  material  used  in  paving. 

j.  Table  of  yardage  and  mileage  of  pavement  in  the  borough  of 
Manhattan  for  five  years. 

k.  Fable  showing  amounts  of  pavements  contracted  for  by  Presi- 
dent Ahearn ;  number  of  contracts,  104 ;  mileage  of  pavement 
laid,  20.53;  amount  expended,  $1,050,627.90;  this  information  pub- 
lished for  the  first  time. 

1.  Impossible  to  determine  cost  of  engineering  supervision  of  pav- 
ing from  books  kept  by  borough  president's  office. 

m.  $8,000,000  appropriated  for  pavements,  new  and  repaired,  from 
1902-1905,  inclusive. 

3.  The  maintenance  of  pavements. 

a.  Method  of  maintaining  pavements  described  in  detail. 

b.  No   explanation    found    for   the   ten-year   maintenance   provision 

in  the  case  of  wood  block  pavement. 

c.  The  borough  of  Manhattan   has  no  plant  for  repairing  asphalt 

pavement ;  repairs  made  by  contract. 

d.  Repairs  guaranteed  only  during  term  of  contract;  contracts  made 

year  by  year ;  price  in   1906,  75c.  per  square  yard. 

e.  Problem  of  keeping  pavements  in  good  condition  a  difficult  one. 

f.  Bureau  of  highways  responsible  for  damage  to  pavements  caused 

by  cuts  made  by  plumbers  and  others  than  city  departments  and 
public  service  corporations. 


g.  Cost  covered  by  permits  to  open  pavements   issued  by  the  bureau 

of  highways. 
h.  Public  service  corporations  responsible  for  restoration  of  opened 

pavements. 
i.  In   1904,  87.90  miles ;  in   1905,   108.72  miles  of  pavement  opened 

by  plumbers,  public  service  corporations  and  city  departments, 
j.  Summary  of  pavements  opened  for  four  years. 

4.  Pipe  Galleries. 

a.  Streets  in   Manhattan  cannot  have  good  pavements  so   long  as 

the  street  surfaces  are  constantly  disturbed  to  gain  access  to 
sub-surface  pipes  and   conduits. 

b.  Solution   of   this   problem   found   m   pipe   galleries. 

c.  To  .supply  pipe  galleries  would   involve   enormous   expenditures 

of  public  money. 

d.  Less  pressing  than  the  provision  of  adequate  transit  facilities; 

nevertheless  important  to  provide  pipe  galleries  in  connection 
with  all  future  underground  railway  systems. 

e.  Pipe  galleries  discussed  in   detail. 

f.  Pipe   galleries   and    the    Rapid    Transit   Act;    rapid    transit    rail- 

road commissioners  given  power  to  build  pipe  galleries  in  con- 
nection with  all  new  subways. 

5.  Corporation  Inspectors. 

a.  City  employees  paid  by  corporations  to  inspect  corporation  work. 

b.  Anomalous    and    unsatisfactory    method    of    enforcing    municipal 

regulations  with  respect  to  the  laying  of  conduits ;  unbusiness- 
like and  unprofitable  method  of  dealing  with  the  problem  of 
paving  restoration. 

c.  Office  of  corporation  inspector  valuable  as  a  vehicle  for  patron- 

age. 

6.  Condition    of    pavement    in    streets    below    14th    Street    as    shown 

by  inspection  made  by  Bureau  of  City  Betterment. 

a.  42%    of  blocks  in  streets   ujider  maintenance  contract   found   in 

poor  condition. 

b.  65%  of  blocks  in  streets  not  under  mahitenance  contract  found  in 

poor  condition. 

c.  Results  of  investigation  reported  to  the  bureau  of  highways. 

7.  Maintenance  of  macadamized  streets. 

a.  18  miles  of  macadam  roadways  maintained  by  the  bureau  of 
highways. 

8.  Incumbrance  of  highways. 

a.  Conflict  in  charter  provisions ;  department  of  street  cleaning  and 

borough  president  charged  with  keeping  the  highways  free 
from  incumbrances;  no  adjustment  of  responsibility  between 
these  two  departments. 

b.  Permits  issued  by  bureau  of  incumbrances  to  builders  and  others. 

9.  Incumbrance  principle  stretched  to  a  dangerous  degree 

a.  'L'  erected  by  Pennsylvania  Railroad  Company  in  32d  Street, 
from  9th  Avenue  to  the  North  river,  under  permit  issued  by 
borough  president. 

10.  Abandoned  car  track  incumbrances. 

a.  Abandoned    street    railway   tracks    are   conspicuous    and    detri- 

mental incumbrances  of  the  public  highways. 

b.  Merchants  Association  estimated  that  in  1903  there  were  20  miles 

of  these  tracks  in  the  streets  of  Manhattan. 

c.  The  borough  president  inactive  with  respect  to   the    removal   of 

unused  car  tracks. 


II.  History   of   the   Amsterdam   Avenue   track   fight. 

a.  Reasons  why  tracks  should  now  be  removed. 
li  Pavement   in   railroad   area. 

a.  Railroads  obliged  by  statute  and  franchise  provisions  to  keep  pave- 

ment in  space  within  and  about  rails  in  repair. 

b.  An  investigation  made  by  the  Bureau  of  City  Betterment  revealed 

the  fact  that  in  70%  of  the  city  blocks  in  which  car  tracks  are 
laid    the  railroad  area  is  paved  with  stone  block. 

c.  Suits    for   $720,000    for   pavement   laid    in    the    railroad    area    in 

Manhattan,  by  the  city,  now  pending. 

d.  The  railroad  area  in  55%  of  city  blocks  in  which  car  tracks  are 

laid    in  bad  repair  in  June,  1906. 

13.  Street   signs. 

a.  No  uniform  method  of  indicating  the  names  of  streets  in  Man- 

hattan ;  bewildering  multiplicity  of  signs  in  use  throughout  the 
borough. 

b.  Various  signs  described. 

14.  Vaults  under  sidewalks. 

a.  The  city  owns  the  streets  from  lot  line  to  lot  line. 

b.  Under  present  system  space  beneath  sidewalks,  property  of  the 

cit}',  is  leased  to  private  individuals  for  indefinite  period  at  $2 
per  square  foot. 

c.  In  Chicago  an  annual  rental  is  charged  for  this  space,  based  upon 

assessed  valuation  of  the  property. 

d.  If  the  Chicago  method  were  applied  to  New  York  the  revenue 

to  the  city  from  this  source  would  be  enormously  increased. 

15.  Sidewalks. 

a.  Many  of  the  sidewalks  in  Manhattan  are  in  a  defective  and  dan- 

gerous condition. 

b.  82  suits  pending  in  the  courts  against  the  city,  on  January  i,  1906, 

for  personal  injury  due  to  alleged  defects  in  the  sidewalks  of 
Manhattan,  involving  the  sum  of  $634,600. 

c.  Sidewalks  repaired  by  private  owners  and  by  the  city. 

d.  Defective  condition  of  Manhattan  sidewalks  due  largely  to  the 

prevalence  of  antiquated,  blue  stone  flagging. 

e.  Sidewalks   studded   with   manholes   and  gratings    which   impede 

traffic  of  pedestrains. 

VI.  Purchase  of  Supplies  Without  Contracts. 

1.  In    1904-1905    President    Ahearn    and    his    subordinates    expended 

$1,024,838.30  without  public  contract;  of  this  sum  the  bureau  of 
buildings  and  offices  expended  in  the  two  years,  $444,965.99. 

2.  Detailed  analysis  of  expenditures  without  public  contract. 

a.  $40'950.62  expended  in  1904- 1905  for  'incidental'  items. 

b.  $181,754.51  expended  in   1904  and  1905  for  paving  without  con- 

tract. 

c.  The  various  beneficiaries. 

VII.  Public  Baths. 

1.  The  City  of  New  York  has  appropriated  $3,000,000  for  the  con- 

struction of  free  public  baths  during  the  past  five  years;  of  this 
sum  over  $2,000,000  was  appropriated  for  baths  in  Manhattan. 

2.  Seven  baths  completed  in  Manhattan  and  one  in  course  of  con- 

struction. 

3.  Cost  of  operation  in  Manhattan  and  Brooklyn  baths  compared. 
a.  For  the  three  winter  months  of   1905  the  cost  to  the  city   for 

each  bath  given  to  males  in  Manhattan  was  5c.  and  to  females 

8 


I2C. ;  the  cost  in  Brooklyn  during  the  same  period,  for  males 
and  females,  respectively,  was  4c  and  6c. 

b.  The  average  cost  per  bath  given  in  1905  was,  in  Manhattan,  7c., 

and  in  Brooklyn,  3c. 

c.  Public  baths  in  Manhattan  extravagantly  administered. 

d.  No  system  of  bookkeeping  for  Manhattan  baths    which  will  indi- 

cate cost  of  construction  and  cost  of  operation. 

VIII.  Bureau  of  Sewers. 

1.  Mileage  of  sewers  in  1905  was  511.36;  number  of  catch  basins  was 

6,181. 

2.  This  public  property  is  in  the  care  of  the  bureau  of  sewers    and 

under  the  jurisdiction  of  the  borough  president. 

3.  Many  of  the  sewers  in  Manhattan  are  more  than  half  a  century  old. 

4.  Much  of  the  system  is  in  need  of  rebuilding. 

5.  a.  The  development  of  underground  railways  conflicts  with  sewer 

system,    and    future    subways    will    necessitate    the    rebuilding    of 
many  sewers. 
b.  No  plan  has  been  formulated  by  the  bureau  of  sewers  for  meeting 
this  problem. 

6.  Conflict  between   the    rapid   transit   commission    and   the   borough 

president  with  respect  to  rebuilding  of  sewers. 


INTRODUCTION. 

For  certain  purposes  the  several  boroughs  comprised  within 
the  City  of  New  York  are  separately  administered.  This  ad- 
ministration is  under  the  control  of  a  borough  president,  chosen 
by  the  electors  of  the  respective  boroughs.  This  pamphlet  deals 
with  the  administration  of  the  Borough  of  Manhattan  and  the 
presidency  of  John  Francis  Ahearn,  during  the  years  1904-1905. 

The  pamphlet  does  not  exhaustively  report  the  various  oper- 
ations of  the  bureaus  under  President  Ahearn  during  these  two 
years.  It  aims,  rather,  to  present  a  picture  of  the  borough  gov- 
ernment and  to  set  forth  certain  facts  respecting  the  working  of 
this  government  during  the  period  under  review.  The  purpose  of 
the  inquiry  into  the  administration  of  the  borough  was,  first,  to 
ascertain  the  facts  respecting  that  administration  and,  second, 
to  suggest  its  improvement  along  specific  lines.  Facts  and 
suggestions  are  both  included  in  the  pamphlet. 

The  suggestions  relate  chiefly  to  the  ends  to  be  achieved 
rather  than  to  the  method  of  their  achievement.  But,  occasion- 
ally, as  in  the  case  of  public  baths^  both  the  end  and  the  means 
are  suggested.  In  an  examination  into  the  administration  of  the 
public  baths  it  was  found  that  they  were  without  competent 
supervision  and  were  generally  extravagantly  maintained.  This 
extravagance  was,  doubtless,  largely  due  to  a  lack  of  knowledge 
on  the  part  of  the  Borough  President  as  to  what  it  actually 
costs  to  operate  the  baths.  This  lack  of  knowledge  resulted 
mainly  from  indifference.  The  Borough  President  and  his  aides 
will  learn  for  the  first  time  on  reading  this  pamphlet  what  it 
costs  to  build  the  baths  for  which  they  are  responsible,  and 
what  it  costs  to  operate  them.  The  provision  of  competent  and 
responsible  supervision  and  the  establishment  of  accurate  book- 
keeping are  suggested  as  remedies  for  the  public  bath  situation. 

The  pamphlet  suggests  no  remedy  for  the  evil  it  exposes 
with  respect  to  the  purchasing  of  supplies  and  the  expenditure 
of  money  without  public  contract.  It  is  shown  that  during  the 
years  1904  and  1905  the  various  bureaus  under  President 
Ahearn  and  his  own  office  spent  more  than  a  million  dollars 
w^ithout  public  contract.  Although  some  of  the  items  which 
make  up  this  great  total  could  hardly  have  been  contracted  for, 

lO 


as,  for  example,  the  $16,000  spent  for  prison-made  furniture, 
most  of  the  money  spent  without  the  formahties  which  are  de- 
signed to  conserve  the  city's  interests,  and  to  secure  for  it  the 
greatest  vahie  for  its  expenditures,  represents  wanton  disregard 
of  ordinary  business  judgment.  It  is  beheved  that  the  pubH- 
cation  of  these  expenditures  will,  in  itself,  do  much  to  remedy  the 
evil. 

An  important  division  of  the  work  controlled  by  the  bor- 
ough president,  is  the  supervision  of  the  building  operations  in 
the  borough.  This  work  is  performed  by  the  bureau  of 
buildings.  This  pamphlet,  however,  does  not  deal  with  the 
bureau  of  buildings.  The  function  of  this  bureau  differs  so 
widely  from  the  other  activities  grouped  under  the  borough 
president,  and  presents  so  many  problems  in  itself,  that  it  jus- 
tifies separate  treatment. 

The  Bureau  of  City  Betterment  is  indebted  to  President 
Ahearn  and  to  his  associates  for  their  courteous  co-operation 
in  the  collection  of  the  data  upon  which  this  pamphlet  is  based. 


II 


HISTORY  OF  THE  OFFICE  OF  BOROUGH  PRESIDENT 

When,  by  the  charter  of  1897,  the  five  counties,  comprised 
within  the  present  City  of  New  York,  were  consoHdated  into 
one  great  metropoHs,  the  city  was  divided,  for  administrative 
purposes,  into  five  boroughs  corresponding  closely  with  the 
county  divisions.  In  each  of  these  boroughs  the  of^ce  of  bor- 
ough president  was  created  to  preserve,  as  it  were,  a  semblance 
of  the  former  autonomy  of  the  consolidated  sections  of  the 
greater  city. 

The  framers  of  the  charter  saw  the  danger  of  over-cen- 
tralization of  the  affairs  of  the  government  at  its  seat  in  Man- 
hattan. It  was  to  ofifset  the  tendency  of  a  government  centered 
in  Manhattan  to  neglect  the  outlying  boroughs  that  the  office 
of  borough  president  was  primarily  established.  The  borough 
president  was  to  be  chosen  by  the  electors  of  his  borough.  His 
chief  duty  was  to  be  the  jealous  guardian  of  the  interests  of  his 
borough,  and  its  champion  against  neglect. 

The  charter  commission  of  1897  described  the  function  of 
the  borough  president  as  follows :  "To  take  the  initiative  in 
connection  with  all  local  improvements  that  are  to  be  paid  for 
by  assessment  for  benefits,  and  to  represent  the  borough  on 
the  Board  of  Public  Improvements." 

This  Board  of  Public  Improvements  was  the  creation  of  the 
charter  of  1897.  Of  it  the  charter  commission  said :  "The 
Board  is  one  of  the  chief  constructive  features  of  the  charter 
and  has  been  carefully  thought  out  in  its  constitution  and 
powers."  The  Board  was  composed  of  the  heads  of  the  six 
most  important  departments  of  public  works,  and  a  president, 
all  appointed  by  the  mayor ;  the  mayor,  the  comptroller,  and  the 
corporation  counsel,  also  an  executive  appointee.  The  borough 
presidents  were  added  as  partial  members  with  no  vote  except 
on  matters  relating  solely  to  their  several  boroughs.  It  was 
at  the  meeting  of  this  Board  that  the  borough  president  was 
supposed  to  prevent  discrimination  against  his  borough. 

The  Board  of  Public  Improvements  had  jurisdiction  over  the 
water  supply,  highways,  cleaning  of  streets,  sewers,  pubHc  build- 
ings, lighting,  bridges  and  the  purchase  of  supplies,  through- 

12 


out  the  entire  city.  It  was  argued  by  the  commission  which 
framed  the  charter  that  pubHc  works  "ought  to  be  primarily  de- 
termined by  expert  authority,  so  that  they  may  be  developed 
upon  a  fixed  plan  and  designed  and  constructed  in  accordance 
with  the  highest  attainable  skill."  The  charter,  therefore,  pro- 
vided that  the  initiative  in  such  improvements  should  be  taken 
by  the  Board  of  Public  Improvements,  requiring  that  works  of 
great  magnitude  and  cost  also  have  the  approval  of  the  Board 
of  Estimate  and  the  Municipal  Assembly,  the  assembly  having 
power  to  override  the  mayor's  veto  with  a  five-sixths  vote. 
These  provisions,  it  was  thought,  would  insure  the  city's  de- 
velopment while  safeguarding  it  from  spoliation. 

In  connection  with  the  work  of  public  improvement  the 
charter  of  1897  established  local  improvement  districts,  corre- 
sponding generally  to  the  senatorial  districts,  and  presided  over 
by  local  boards,  composed  of  the  members  of  the  Municipal 
Assembly  residing  in  the  district,  with  the  borough  president  as 
chairman,  ex-officio.  These  local  boards  were  intended  to  serve 
as  the  spokesmen  of  the  smaller  divisions  of  the  borough  as  the 
president  served  to  make  known  the  wants  of  the  borough  as  a 
whole.  Their  power  was  limited  to  making  recommendations  to 
the  Board  of  Public  Improvements  to  initiate  public  work  to 
be  paid  for  in  whole  or  part  by  assessment  on  the  property 
benefited,  except  in  minor  matters,  such  as  the  laying  of  side- 
walks, where  the  local  boards  were  authorized  themselves  to 
initiate  proceedings  by  resolution. 

Concerning  the  local  board,  Mr.  Edward  M.  Grout,  the  first 
president  of  the  Borough  of  Brooklyn,  said  in  1899,  prior  to  the 
revision  of  the  charter :  "The  local  boards  have  been  the  means 
of  making  known  to  the  officials  having  power  the  needs  of  the 
localities.  They  have  done  this  better  than  would  have  been 
done  by  any  centralized  system.  Their  recommendations  in  the 
matter  of  local  assessable  improvements,  such  as  grading  and 
paving  streets,  the  construction  of  sewers  and  the  opening  of 
streets,  have  been  in  the  best  interests  of  localities,  and,  so 
far  as  those  recommendations  have  been  acted  upon  favorably, 
the  local  boards  have  produced  benefits.  The  most  pronounced 
benefit,  however,  has  been  in  the  making  of  minor  improve- 
ments, such  as  flagging  sidewalks,  fencing  vacant  lots  and  grad- 
ing lots.  These  matters  are  the  only  ones  in  which  power  is 
vested  in  local  boards  by  the  Greater  New  York  charter  (1897). 
The  result  has  been  that  more  sidewalks  have  been  flagged  in 
Brooklyn  since  consolidation  (2  years)  than  was  probably  done 
in  the  former  city  of  Brooklyn  in  a  period  of  five  to  eight  years. 

13 


"I  believe  the  continuance  of  local  boards  to  be  desirable  for 
the  reason  that  they  are  the  best  medium  between  the  citizens 
of  the  locality  and  the  center  of  city  government.  The  meetings 
of  the  local  boards  in  Brooklyn  have  approached  as  nearly  the 
town  meeting  plan  of  villages  at  which  all  citizens  have  a  voice, 
as  can  be  attained  in  a  city.  .  .  .  What  is  needed  now  is  power 
in  the  local  boards  to  make  their  action  efifective — to  direct  the 
making  of  various  street  improvements  and  to  see  that  they  are 
done  at  once  by  the  departments,  instead  of  being  limited,  as 
now,  merely  to  the  power  of  making  recommendations  which, 
under  the  complex  system  of  the  charter,  means  long  delay  be- 
fore it  results  in  action." 

In  the  deliberations  of  the  local  boards  the  borough  presi- 
dent had  a  vote^  but  no  veto.  In  the  deliberations  of  the  Board 
of  Public  Improvements  he  had  vote  only  on  matters  relating 
exclusively  to  his  borough.  Mr.  Grout  wrote  :  "There  is  practi- 
cally nothing  that  a  borough  president,  after  examination  and 
having  determined  what  should  be  done,  can  proceed  to  do.  He 
can  only  then  attempt  to  persuade  some  other  official  that  the 
thing  should  be  done.  The  benefit  secured  by  borough  pres- 
idents has  been  simply  that  resulting  from  their  being  advocates 
for  the  citizens  of  their  boroughs.  Their  offices  in  the  boroughs 
have  to  an  extent  been  bureaus  of  information  for  the  citizens, 
respecting  provisions  of  the  new  charter  not  yet  generally  under- 
stood." Mr.  Grout  believed,  however,  in  the  continuance  of  the 
office  but  only  with  enlarged  powers.  Mr.  Seth  Low  ad- 
vocated an  increase  in  the  powers  of  the  borough  president,  al- 
though he  felt  that  wider  powers  for  the  local  boards  would  in- 
terfere with  what  he  considered  a  desirable  centralization  in  the 
control  of  the  city's  work. 

Criticism  of  the  character  made  by  Mr.  Grout,  and  the  presi- 
dents of  the  boroughs  of  The  Bronx  and  Queens,  together  with 
a  general  protest  on  the  part  of  residents  in  the  outlying  bor- 
oughs at  apparent  discrimination  against  them  in  favor  of  Man- 
hattan by  the  Board  of  Public  Improvements,  led  to  a  widening 
of  the  powers  of  the  borough  president  in  the  revised  charter 
>  of  1901. 

The  charter  revisionists  believed  that  the  Board  of  Public 
Improvements,  of  which  so  much  had  been  expected,  had  proved 
unsuccessful.  It  had  not  been  possible  to  secure,  under  the 
regime  of  'practical  politicians',  'experts',  sufficiently  disinter- 
ested and  far-sighted  to  be  free  from  sectional  bias.  Without 
public  works,  and  public  works  contracts,  'practical  politicians' 
outside  of  Manhattan  had  found  it  difficult  to  justify  their  con- 

14 


tinuance  in  office  to  their  constituents  and  backers.  With 
poHtical  control  centralized  in  Manhattan  the  political  fruits 
were  largely  distributed  there.  President  Haffen  in  The  Bronx 
loudly  complained  that  not  one  single  public  improvement  had 
been  authorized  for  The  Bronx  during  the  entire  first  year  of  the 
life  of  the  new  city. 

It  was  decided,  therefore,  to  decentralize  the  control  of  local 
improvements.  The  care  for  the  harmonious  development  of 
the  city  was  taken  from  the  Board  of  'experts'  and  placed  in 
the  hands  of  the  Board  of  Estimate  and  Apportionment.  The 
borough  presidents  were  made  representatives  of  the  boroughs 
in  fact  as  well  as  in  theory. 

The  reorganization  resulted  in  the  abolition  of  the  Board  of 
Public  Improvements.  The  departments  of  highways,  sewers  and 
public  buildings  were  broken  up  into  bureaus  and  placed  under 
the  borough  presidents  with  jurisdiction  limited  to  a  single  bor- 
ough. The  purchase  of  supplies,  except  "for  the  offices  under 
the  borough  president,  was  dissociated  from  the  care  of  public 
buildings  and  entrusted  to  the  heads  of  departments.  Similarly, 
public  lighting  was  added  to  the  province  of  the  Department  of 
Water  Supply. 

The  Department  of  Buildings  was  divided  into  five  sections 
and  placed  under  the  borough  presidents  because  one  central 
office  had  proved  inconvenient  to  citizens  living  in  remote  parts 
of  the  city  and  having  business  to  transact  with  the  Department. 

The  borough  presidents  were  made  members  of  the  Board 
of  Estimate  and  Apportionment.  The  difficulty  of  placing  finan- 
cial control  in  the  hands  of  the  spenders  of  city  money  was  in  a 
measure  overcome  by  the  principle  of  multiple  voting.  The  new 
Board  of  Estimate  was  composed,  in  addition  to  the  borough 
presidents,  of  the  mayor,  the  comptroller,  and  the  president  of 
the  Board  of  Aldermen,  who  were  elected  by  general  election  in 
all  boroughs.  To  each  of  these  three  members  three  votes 
were  given  on  all  matters  coming  before  the  board.  The 
presidents  of  the  boroughs  pf  Manhattan  and  Brooklyn  were 
each  given  two  votes,  and  the  presidents  of  the  three  remaining 
boroughs  were  each  given  one.  In  this  way  the  public  officials 
responsible  to  the  entire  city  are  collectively  stronger  by  two 
votes  than  the  combined  representatives  of  the  several  sub- 
divisions of  the  city. 

The  new  charter  also  enhanced  the  importance  of  the  local 
improvement   boards   by  giving  to   those   bodies   authority   to 

15 


initiate  proceedings  for  local  assessable  improvements,  subject 
to  the  approval  of  the  Board  of  Estimate,  and,  in  matters  involv- 
ing an  expenditure  of  more  than  $500,000  of  the  city's  funds,  the 
joint  approval  of  the  Board  of  Aldermen.  Approval  of  the 
Board  of  Estimate  is  not  necessary  when  a  local  board  decides 
to  spend  a  sum  not  exceeding  $2,000  for  flagging  sidewalks, 
laying  crosswalks,  fencing  vacant  lots,  digging  down  lots  or  fill- 
ing in  sunken  lots.  No  resolution  of  the  local  board  may  take 
effect  without  the  approval  of  the  borough  president. 

It  will  have  been  seen,  therefore,  that  decentralization  ot 
control  over  the  work  of  public  improvement  so  important  to  a 
growing  community  and  so  valuable  politically,  was  largely  ef- 
fected by  the  new  charter.  The  harmonious  development  of  the 
city  is  frankly  left  to  political  expediency,  although  the  interact- 
ing interests  of  the  different  borough  presidents  assures  to  each 
a  due  measure  of  consideration  in  the  work  of  public  improve- 
ment.* 

For  the  execution  of  pubHc  improvements  the  city  was 
now  divided,  by  the  new  charter,  into  five  subdivisions,  corre- 
sponding to  the  boroughs.  The  direction  of  the  machinery  of 
public  work  was  placed  in  the  hands  of  the  borough  president. 
He  was  given  cognizance  and  control  of  the  following  mattws : 


(i)  Of   regulating   and  grading    streets- 

(2)  Of  constructing  and  repairing  public  roads. 

(3)  Of  paving  and  repaying. 

(4)  Of  laying  surface  railroad  tracks. 

(5)  Of  the  filling  and  fencing  of  lots  and  of  licensing  vaults  under 

the  sidewalks. 

(6)  Of  the  removal  of  incumbrances. 

(7)  Of  the  issuing  of  permits  to  use  and  open  the  streets. 

(8)  Of  all  bridges  except  those  that  cross  navigable  streams. 

(9)  Of  all  subjects  relating  to  sewers. 

(10)  Of  certain  public  buildings. 

(11)  Of  all  offices  leased  for  public  purposes. 

(12)  Of  public  baths  and  comfort  stations. 

(13)  Of  the  supervision  of  all  building  activities  in  the  borough. 

In  addition  to  the  powers  above  specified,  the  presidents  of 
Queens  and  Richmond  have  control  of  the  cleaning  of  the 
streets  within  their  jurisdiction. 

♦There  is  still,  however,  a  decided  disinclinatioa  on  the  part  of  the  borough 
presidents  to  submit  to  control  by  the  Board  of  Estimate  as  a  whole  in  the 
matter  of  assessable  improvements.  It  is  argued  that  the  city  not  only  gains 
by  the  increase  in  taxable  values  by  reason  of  these  improvements,  but  profits 
in  advancing  money  to  the  locality  for  their  execution.  Overdue  assessments 
are  subject  to  an  interest  charge  of  seven  per  centum  while  the  city  can  borrow 
at  four. 

16 


c 


Organization   of  .he   0«i«   of  ,he   President   of  the   Borough  of   Manhattan.   Showing   Elective   (l>   and   Exempt   Positions   Appointed   by   the   Borough   President. 

The    Pr«id«nt  of  the   Borough.  ElecKd   by  AH  the  Electors  of  the  Borough. 

Term,  Four  Years.  Salary,  $7,500  per  Annum. 


KBCAPITULATIO.S  : 


EH°°'Ss"?j, 


f?''2!?'"  '"'•anil*''  *•"«•*■ 


if^'u^ty^,.',... 


irXi 


Enilot»r  of  Sirf«t  Openlan. 
Civil  snnplro:    Baiarjr.  (S.IkiO  p 


nrubloiton  W.  wnk& 


# 


C) 


Each  borough  president  is  permitted  to  appoint  a  commis- 
sioner of  pubHc  works,  who  may  exercise  all  the  administrative 
powers  of  his  chief.  Subordinate  to  the  commissioner  are  the 
superintendents  of  highways,  sewers,  incumbrances,  public 
buildings  and  offices,  and  public  baths. 

The  superintendent  of  highways  has  charge  of  all  matters 
pertaining  to  the  building  and  repairing  of  streets. 

The  superintendent  of  sewers  has  charge  of  all  matters  in 
any  way  concerning  the  construction  and  care  of  the  sewer  sys- 
tem and  the  drainage  thereof. 

The  superintendent  of  incumbrances  removes  street  in- 
cumbrances and  grants  permits  to  builders  and  others  to  use 
the  streets. 

The  duties  of  the  superintendents  of  public  buildings  and 
offices  and  public  baths  are  indicated  by  their  titles. 

The  superintendent  of  buildings  is  in  charge  of  the  bureau 
of  buildings.  This  bureau  passes  upon  all  plans  for  the  con- 
struction of  new  buildings  and  repairs  to  old  ones,  and  all  con- 
struction work  on  buildings  is  subject  to  inspection  by  the  bu- 
reau's experts. 


17 


THE  BOROUGH  PRESIDENT  AND  HIS  STAFF. 

JOHN   FRANCIS   AHEARN. 

Leader  in  Tammany  Hall  in  the  Fourth  (old)  Assembly  District. 

The  borough  president  enjoys  in  many  ways  great  oppor- 
tunities for  social  service.  As  the  chairman  of  the  local  boards 
he  is  entrusted  with  the  welfare  of  the  various  political  sub- 
divisions which  these  boards  represent.  Indeed,  the  purpose 
of  social  service  was  an  underlying  motive  in  the  creation  of  the 
local  boards.  Respecting  them  the  charter  provides  that  they 
shall  have  "power  to  hear  complaints  of  nuisances  in  streets  and 
avenues,  or  against  disorderly  houses,  drinking  saloons  con- 
ducted in  violation  of  the  laws  regulating  the  traffic  in  liquor, 
gambling  houses  or  any  other  places  or  congregations  violative 
of  good  order  or  the  laws  of  the  state,  or  other  matters  or 
things  concerning  the  peace,  comfort,  order  or  good  govern- 
ment respecting  any  neighborhood  within  the  district,  or  con- 
cerning the  condition  of  the  poor  within  the  district.  .  .  and 
to  aid  the  Board  of  Aldermen  and  departments  in  the  dis- 
charge of  their  duties  respecting  the  good  government  in  the 
said  district."  The  power  of  the  local  board  is  the  power  of  the 
borough  president.  The  secretary  of  the  borough,  appointed 
by  the  president,  is  the  secretary  of  the  local  boards,  and  the 
president  as  chairman  exercises  a  veto  which  in  practice  makes 
him  the  complete  arbiter  in  matters  undertaken  by  them.  Cor- 
respondingly, his  power  of  initiative  is  great. 

As  the  administrative  head  of  the  public  baths  system  of  the 
borough,  the  president's  power  to  render  service  of  a  high  order 
to  the  public  is  thus  increased.  Having  charge  of  the  sewer 
system,  and  of  the  sidewalks  and  streets  of  the  borough,  the 
official  activities  of  the  president  bear  directly  upon  the  welfare 
of  the  entire  community. 

The  present  borough  president,  John  Francis  Ahearn,  was 
first  elected  to  his  office  on  the  Tammany  ticket  in  1903.  He 
was  re-elected  in  1905  for  a  term  which  will  expire  December, 
1909.  Mr.  Ahearn  has  a  political  experience  extending  over 
many  years.  Born  in  New  York  City  in  1853,  he  received  his 
first  public  office  in  his  election  to  the  Assembly  in  1883.  After 
one  term  in  the  Assembly  Mr.  Ahearn  became  a  clerk  in  a 
police  court,  returning  to  the  Legislature  as  Senator  in  1889. 
In  1891  and  continuously  to  1902  he  was  re-elected  to  the  Sen- 
ate. In  1902  he  was  superseded  by  Daniel  J.  Reardon,  only  to 
be  nominated  in  the  following  year  for  the  vastly  more  import- 
ant office  of  borough  president. 


Senator  Ahearn  began  his  career  in  the  Senate  opposed 
to  the  Tanimany  forces,  but  was  soon  won  over  and  became 
a  steadfast  party  man.  This  loyalty  to  organization  measures 
doubtless  led  him  to  vote  for  the  famous  'Huckleberry  Bill' 
in  the  session  of  1893.  This  bill  was  passed  in  favor  of  the 
Union  Railway  Company,  and  granted  that  company  a  fran- 
chise to  operate  street  railways  in  practically  every  part  of  the 
'Annexed  Territory,'  as  the  part  of  New  York  City  above  the 
Harlem  River  was  at  that  time  known.  It  expressly  relieved 
the  company  from  certain  important  provisions  of  the  rail- 
road law  which  protected  the  city's  interests.  One  of  these 
provisions  was  that  the  city  should  sell  franchises  for  street 
railways  at  public  auction  to  the  corporation  which  would  agree 
to  pay  annually  to  the  city  the  largest  percentage  of  gross  re- 
ceipts. Another  provision  of  the  railroad  law  from  which  the 
measure  exempted  the  Union  Railway  Company,  related  to 
the  payment  to  the  city  of  three  per  cent  of  their  gross  earnings 
by  all  companies  receiving  a  franchise  during  the  first  live 
years  of  their  operation,  and  five  per  cent  thereafter.  It  was 
only  after  pubhc  protest  that  the  'Huckleberry  Bill'  was 
amended  so  as  to  provide  for  any  compensation  to  the  city  and 
then  it  stipulated  that  the  company  should  pay  only  one  per 
cent  of  its  gross  earnings,  but  not  until  they  averaged  $1,700 
per  day  during  six  months  and  an  additional  one  per  cent  for 
each  additional  $1,700  so  earned.  Similarly,  Mr.  Ahearn's  party 
fealty  led  him  to  vote  for  the  notorious  Central  Park  Speedway 
Bill,  which  provided  for  the  construction  by  the  city  of  a  speed- 
way in  Central  Park,  parallel  to  Eighth  Avenue,  for  the  use  of 
owners  of  fast  horses.  This  bill  became  law,  but  was  hurriedly 
repealed  when  its  passage  aroused  a  storm  of  protest.  Sena- 
tor Ahearn  voted  for  the  repeal. 

Senator  Ahearn  acquired  great  popularity  as  a  legislator 
because  of  his  efforts  in  behalf  of  various  classes  of  city  em- 
ployees. He  was  responsible  for  the  law  bearing  his  name 
which  established  a  minimum  salary  rate  for  teachers 
and  provided  for  periodical  increases  based  on  length  of  ser- 
vice. It  was  due  to  Senator  Ahearn  that  the  Board  of  Esti- 
mate and  Apportionment  was  empowered  to  include  in  the 
annual  budget  an  appropriation  to  meet  the  deficiencies  in  the 
police  pension  fund.  Mr.  Ahearn  also  placed  the  firemen  of 
New  York  City  under  obligation  to  him  because  of  his  activity 
in  their  interest. 

A  thorough  examination  of  Mr.  Ahearn's  legislative  record 
has  not  been  attempted.  With  his  career  as  Senator  this 
pamphlet  is  not  concerned  except  in  so  far  as  it  may  serve  to 
indicate  the  character  of  service  Mr.  Ahearn  has  previously 
rendered  in  office.    In  rehearsing  his  public  activity  Mr.  Ahearn 

19 


has  referred  with  pride  to  a  measure  introduced  by  him,  but 
which  failed  to  become  law,  known  as  the  'Mothers'  Bill.'  The 
'Mothers'  Bill'  provided  that  money  previously  paid  to  institu- 
tions for  the  support  of  children  of  indigent  widows,  should, 
after  careful  investigation,  be  paid  to  the  widows  directly,  and 
that  the  children  should  be  left  in  the  custody  of  their  mothers. 

Previously  published  reviews  of  Senator  Ahearn's  record  in 
the  Senate  classify  as  objectionable  a  bill  introduced  by  him  in 
successive  sessions,  but  which  never  became  law,  requiring 
steamship  companies  plying  on  Long  Island  Sound,  coming 
from  points  outside  of  New  York  State,  and  passing  through 
Hell  Gate,  to  have  their  landing  places  in  the  East  River,  north 
of  Grand  Street.  This  affected  the  Fall  River  and  other  steam- 
boat lines.  In  1891,  Senator  Ahearn  introduced  a  bill  amend- 
ing the  Civil  Service  law,  which  failed  of  passage,  providing 
that  when  the  names  of  candidates  for  civil  service  positions 
who  have  passed  an  examination  are  transmitted  to  the  ap- 
pointing officer,  no  statement  of  the  percentage  which  the 
candidates  receive  in  examination  should  be  transmitted,  and 
forbidding  discrimination  in  appointments  by  reason  of  higher 
or  lower  percentages  received  by  candidates. 

In  the  session  of  1899  he  introduced  a  bill  which  was  passed, 
but  later  declared  unconstitutional,  providing  for  the  refunding 
to  accused  officials  of  money  spent  in  successful  defense,  on  con- 
dition of  the  claims  being  allowed  by  the  Supreme  Court.  This 
law  was  immediately  taken  advantage  of  by  all  the  officials  who 
had  stood  trial  in  consequence  of  the  Lexow  investigation, 
and  before  it  was  declared  unconstitutional  claims  for  nearly 
$1,000,000  had  been  filed. 

During  his  twelve  years  in  the  Senate  Mr.  Ahearn  de- 
veloped into  a  local  politician  of  considerable  power.  He  was 
elected  leader  of  his  district  organization  in  1903,  a  position 
he  still  holds.  His  local  organization,  the  John  F.  Ahearn 
Association,  is  one  of  the  strongest  Tammany  district  bodies. 
It  was  in  recognition  of  his  strength  as  a  politician  that  he  re- 
ceived the  nomination  for  the  borough  presidency,  an  office 
next  in  importance  to  that  of  mayor,  from  a  patronage 
point  of  view,  and  one  which  a  Tammany  politician  at  one 
time  picturesquely  called  'a  pudding.' 

The  record  of  his  administration  of  the  office  of  borough 
president,  to  which  he  was  first  elected  in  1903,  and  the  most 
important  he  has  held,  is  partially  set  forth  in  the  following 
pages.  Possessed  of  considerable  initiative,  he  has  been  active 
in  securing  appropriations  for  public  improvements.     The  ex- 

20 


penditure  of  vast  sums  of  money  has  been  entrusted  to  his  dis- 
cretion. On  the  other  hand,  his  administration  has  done  noth- 
ing to  solve  certain  pre-eminently  important  problems  involved 
in  the  proper  administration  of  the  borough.  Everywhere,  still, 
abandoned  car  tracks  encumber  the  highways  of  the  borough. 
The  public  baths  which  he  has  built  are  not  administered  so  as 
to  be  adequately  used.  He  has  done  nothing  to  bring  about  an 
end  to  the  constant  destruction  of  pavements  by  the  owners  of 
sub-surface  systems.  He  has  tolerated  extravagance  in  the  pur- 
chase of  supplies  and  in  making  repairs.  For  the  practical 
politician  the  expenditure  of  money  is  the  bricks  and  mortar 
of  his  power;  it  is  the  thing  he  most  wishes  to  do.  As  an  ad- 
ministrator he  must  be  judged  not  by  the  amount  of  his  spend- 
ings  but  by  the  method  in  which  these  expenditures  are  made. 

As  his  assistants  in  the  administration  of  his  public  work, 
Mr.  Ahearn  is  allowed  by  charter  a  commissioner  and  assistant 
commissioner  of  public  works,  and  superintendents  of  the  vari- 
ous bureaus  under  him.  These  officials  have  been  chosen  by 
him  for  their  political  qualifications.  The  commissioner  and 
assistant  commissioner  of  public  works,  the  superintendents  of 
sewers  and  highways  and  his  original  appointment  to  the  super- 
intendency  of  buildings,  are  all  district  leaders  in  Tammany 
Hall  with  considerable  experience  in  public  office,  but  no  con- 
spicuously creditable  service.  Of  the  two  remaining  superin- 
tendents one,  the  superintendent  of  public  buildings  and  offices, 
is  a  politician  contractor,  and  the  other,  the  superintendent  of 
public  baths  and  comfort  stations,  a  civil  service  employe.  The 
present  incumbent  of  the  superintendency  of  buildings  is  a  con- 
tractor who  is  a  member  of  Tammany  Hall  and  the  recipient  of 
contracts  in  the  past  from  Mr.  Ahearn  and  his  party.  Being  a 
district  leader  himself,  Mr.  Ahearn  frankly  holds  that  a  district 
leader  is  the  best  qualified  person  available  to  superintend  the 
various  technical  bureaus  under  his  control,  no  matter  what 
that  district  leader's  engineering  experience  may  be. 

Not  only  does  Mr.  Ahearn  look  for  his  aides  among  his  asso- 
ciates in  practical  politics,  but  he  makes  allegiance  to  his  politi- 
cal organization  the  test  for  promotion  among  his  subordinates. 
The  civil  service  will  protect  a  clerk  who  attends  to  his  duty 
with  reasonable  faithfulness,  no  matter  what  his  political  affilia- 
tions may  be,  but  the  most  devoted  attention  to  his  duties  will 
not  bring  a  man  promotion,  dependent  as  it  is  upon  the  sanction 
of  the  President,  unless  the  employee  is  of  the  'right  political 
complexion.'  This  Mr.  Ahearn  has  made  understood  through- 
out of  the  ranks  of  his  subordinates.  In  this  way,  therefore,  a 
premium  is  set  upon  activity  in    'practical'    politics.     The  first 

21 


consideration  in  promoting  a  man  or  selecting  an  applicant 
from  the  civil  service  lists  is  his  past  activity  in  behalf  of  Mr. 
Ahearn's  organization,  and  his  present  willingness  to  serve  those 
interests.  It  will  need  no  argument  to  persuade  the  open- 
minded  that  if  efficiency  were  desired  above  all  else,  Mr. 
Ahearn's  method  of  selection  and  promotion  would  not  be 
practiced.  In  order  that  it  may  be  shown  how  Mr.  Ahearn  has 
carried  out  his  view  of  good  administration  in  the  selection  of 
his  staff,  this  chapter  is  largely  given  over  to  previously  pub- 
Hshed  notes  respecting  their  character  and  careers. 


WILLIAM    DALTON:      COMMISSIONER    OF    PUBLIC    WORKS; 
SALARY  $6,000  PER  ANNUM. 

The  Commissioner  of  Public  Works  is  in  one  sense  the  vice- 
president  of  the  borough.  In  the  absence  of  the  president,  the 
full  powers  of  that  official  devolve  upon  him.  Nominally,  this 
officer  is  the  general  overseer  of  the  public  works  activities 
carried  on  in  the  various  bureaus  subordinate  to  him.  His  use- 
fulness to  the  city  is  in  direct  ratio  to  his  competency  as  a  super- 
visor of  these  public  works.  This  competency  must  depend 
upon  his  technical  fitness.  The  general  work  of  administration 
is  entrusted  to  the  president  himself  and  his  election  by 
popular  vote  precludes  the  likelihood  of  his  selection  for  tech- 
nical fitness  to  execute  public  works.  From  the  point  of  view 
of  good  administration,  therefore,  the  commissioner  of  public 
works  should  be  technically  competent  to  intelligently  supervise 
the  making  of  pavements,  the  building  of  sewers  and  the  con- 
struction of  public  buildings. 

Mr.  Ahearn  has  selected  for  his  chief  aide  and  the  incumbent 
of  this  office  William  Dalton.  Mr.  Dalton  is  a  butcher  and  car- 
penter by  trade  and  a  politician  by  profession.  His  chief  recom- 
mendation to  President  Ahearn  is  the  fact  that  he  is  the  leader 
of  the  Tammany  Hall  organization  in  the  11th  Assembly  Dis- 
trict. As  a  public  servant  his  most  conspicuous  performance 
was  his  ardent  espousal,  during  his  term  as  Commissioner  of 
Water  Supply  under  Mayor  Van  Wyck's  administration,  of  the 
Ramapo  Water  Company's  proposal  to  convert  the  water  supply 
system  of  New  York  City  into  a  gold  mine  for  that  company's 
exclusive  advantage. 

Mr.  Dalton's  qualifications  as  an  engineer  were  stated  by 
himself  in  his4estimony  before  the  Mazet  Committee,  as  follows  : 

22 


Testimony  before  the  special  committee  of  the  Assembly  appointed 
to  investigate  the  public  offices  and  departments  of  the  City  of  New 
York,  etc.  (The  Mazet  Committee.)  Given  Tuesday,  September  12, 
i8qq.* 


Ouestioji  {by  counsel):  ^'Mr.  Dalton,  did  yoii  go  into  your 
office  possessed  of  any  special  acqicircmcnt  of  kttowledge  in  the 
matter  of  engineering  a7id  water  snpplyf'  Anszver:  ''Well  so 
far  as  engijieering,  yes  sir;  I  07vned  an  engine  for  some  years. 
At  7ny  place  of  business  we  7namifactur ed  butchers^  stipplies  a7id 
did  carpenter  work.     It  zvas  small;  about  eight-horse  poiver." 


In  his  present  office  Mr.  Dalton  has  done  nothing  to  attract 
attention.  His  record  there,  so  far  as  it  is  known,  is  entirely 
colorless. 


Some  of  the  public  statements  regarding  Mr.  Dalton's  career 
are  herewith  sfiven : 


William  Dalton:  Testimony  before  Mazet  Committee,  Sept.  12, 
iSqq.  Pages  2682-26S3,  Vol.  III.  of  printed  testimony.  "I  am  the  Commis- 
sioner of  Water  Supply.  When  I  was  appointed  to  this  particular  office 
I  was  in  the  wholesale  butcher  business.  My  place  of  business  was  601 
West  39th  street,  and  3,  5  and  7  Washington  Market.  I  had  that  busi- 
ness and  the  carpenter  business  for  some  thirteen  years,  I  believe.  That 
is,  I  had  a  partner  connected  with  the  business  up  to  the  time  I  had 
this  place  (Commissioner  of  Water  Supply).  I  did  not  actively  partici- 
pate hi  the  business.  I  was  Commissioner  of  Excise,  president  of  the 
board,  and  deputy  commissioner  of  street  cleaning,  and  acting  commis- 
sioner at  times.  I  have  held  no  other  public  position.  My  time  has  been 
altogether  given  to  these  public  offices.  There  have  been  intervals  when  I 
held  no  public  position,  from  the  27  of  February,  1895,  up  to,  I  think, 
the  2  of  January,  1898.  I  am  also  a  district  leader  in  Tammany  Hall. 
I  have  been  a  district  leader  going  on  ten  years ;  ten  years,  I  think,  this 
election.  The  duties  of  that  position  are  somewhat  numerous.  It  takes 
some  time  to  perform  the  duties  of  that  position  of  district 
leader.  ...  I  cannot  perform  both  sets  of  duties  with  ease.  I  can- 
not perform  my  duties  to  the  association  and  attend  to  the  duties  of  the 
water  commission  at  the  same  time." 

"William  Dalton's  rise  to  power  with  Tammany  Hall  has  been  steady. 
He  was  first  heard  of  in  a  political  way  in  1885  when  he  was  elected  to 
the  Assembly  where  he  remained  three  years.  In  1889  he  became  deputy 
Street  Cleaning  Commissioner,  and  in  1893  Mayor  Gilroy  made  him  Ex- 
cise Commissioner.  In  1898  Mayor  Van  Wyck  named  him  for  his  present 
position  (Commissioner  of  Water  Supply).  He  was  born  in  New  York 
about  fifty  years  ago  and  has  long  been  leader  of  the  nth  A.  D." 

— N.  Y.   World,  April  26,   1901. 


"Printed  in  the  published  report  of  the  testimony,  page  2769,  Vol.  III. 

23 


"William  Dalton,  familiarly  known  as  'Billy,'  a  butcher  and  liquor 
dealer,  is  the  Tammany  leader  of  the  iith  A.  D.  He  represented  the  17th 
A.  D.  in  the  Assembly  several  times.  While  there  it  was  said  of  him 
that  he  was  'too  much  of  a  fool  to  be  a  rogue'.  He  is  believed  to  have 
some  valuable  privileges  in  West  Washington  Market." 

— N.  Y.  Evening  Post,  April  20,  1894. 

"Mr.  Dalton  was  born  in  the  precinct  he  now  conducts,  and  lived 
there  all  his  life.  His  education  was  gained  in  the  pubhc  schools  of  this 
city.  After  leaving  school  his  father  apprenticed  him  to  the  carpenter 
trade.  He  served  his  time  and  started  out  for  himself.  He  opened  a  shop 
and  made  a  specialty  of  manufacturing  butchers'  iittings.  In  this  way  he 
drifted  into  the  butcher  business,  which  he  follows  at  present  in  Wash- 
ington Market.  During  the  years  1886- 1887- 1888  he  was  a  member  of  the 
State  Assembly." 

— N.  Y.  World,  October  6,  1891. 

"William  Dalton  was  sponsor  for  the  $200,000,000  Ramapo  grab  which 
nearly  succeeded." 

— N.  Y.  World,  December  29,  1903. 

BERNARD   DOWNING:      SECRETARY   OF   THE   BOROUGH    OF 
MANHATTAN;  SALARY  $4,000  PER  ANNUM. 

Mr.  Downing  is  the  Secretary  of  the  Borough  of  Manhattan. 
In  this  capacity  he  is  also  Secretary  of  the  Boards  of  Local  Im- 
provements in  that  borough.  Air.  Downing  has  not  yet  risen  to 
the  rank  of  district  leader  in  Tammany  Hall. 

The  following  items  have  been  published  concerning  him : 

"Mr.  Downing  is  the  vice-president  of  the  Tammany  organization  of 
the  4th  A.  D.,  and  is  one  of  the  most  popular  young  men  on  the  East  Side." 

— N.  Y.  World,  December  23,  1903. 

"The  appointment  of  'Barney'  Downing  as  private  secretary  to  Mr. 
Ahearn  .  .  .  has  pleased  the  East  Side.  Mr.  Downing  is  connected 
with  many  charitable  enterprises." 

— N.  Y.  World,  December  24,  1903. 


JOHN  V.  COGGEY:    SUPERINTENDENT  OF  SEWERS;  SALARY 
$5,000  PER  ANNUM. 

Mr.  Coggey  is  a  district  leader  in  Tammany  Hall  in  the  24th 
A.  D. 

The  following  statements  concerning  him  have  been  pub- 
lished: 

"John  V.  Coggey,  Tammany;  dry  goods  clerk;  common  school  edu- 
cation ;  machine  politician ;  present  alderman ;  appointed  vice  Alderman 
Dunn,  deceased;  never  held  other  office,  hut  family  always  in  politics; 
bears  good  reputation  in  his  district." 

— N.  Y.  Evening  Post,  October  30,  1901. 

24 


"Mr.  Coggey  was  born  in  New  York  City  on  April  9,  1874,  and  re- 
ceived a  public  school  education,  being  a  graduate  of  grammar  school  No. 
74  East  63rd  Street.  His  first  ambition  was  to  study  law,  but  he  gave 
that  up  to  enter  the  dry  goods  house  oi  H.  B.  Claflin  &  Co.,  where  he  has 
been  for  the  last  ten  years,  and  is  still  connected  with  that  estabhshment. 
Mr.  Coggey  has  been  interested  in  politics  since  a  child.  He  has  not 
missed  a  m.eeting  at  Tammany  Hall  since  he  could  find  the  way  to  14th 
Street.  Mr.  Coggey  was  made  captain  of  his  election  district  as  soon  as 
he  reached  his  majority.  At  present  he  is  the  youngest  member  of  the 
Board  of  Aldermen.    He  has  lived  in  57th  Street  for  twenty  years." 

— N.  Y.  Evening  Telegram,  October  30,  1901. 

"Borough  President  Ahearn  yesterday  appointed  John  V.  Coggey 
Superintendent  of  Sewers  to  succeed  Matthew  Donahue,  who  declined  re- 
appointment." 

— N.  Y.  Tribune,  January   i,   1906. 

"Place  found  for  Coggey.  Ahearn  gives  district  leader  a  job  when 
Mayor  refuses.  Coggey  was  'taken  care  of  by  Borough  President  Ahearn 
who  is  dispensing  patronage  to  suit  Charles  F.  Murphy." 

— N.  Y.  World,  January  16,  1906. 

Mr.  Coggey's  immediate  predecessor  in  office,  Matthew  F. 
Donahue,  was  and  is  the  Tammany  Hall  leader  in  the  Twenty- 
first  Assembly  District. 

GEORGE  F.  SCANNELL:    SUPERINTENDENT  OF  HIGHWAYS; 
SALARY  $5,000  PER  ANNUM. 

These  items  are  discovered  concerning  Mr.  Scannell,  pub- 
lished as  follows : 

"George  F.  Scannell,  brother  of  Fire  Commissioner  Scannell  .  .  . 
knows  a  good  thing  when  he  sees  it.  Scannell  was  very  anxious  several 
months  ago  to  become  a  clerk  in  Jefferson  Market  PoHce  Court.  At  the 
last  moment  he  gave  up  the  berth  and  recommended  another  applicant 
who  got  the  place. 

"When  Scannell  was  asked  why  he  had  not  accepted  the  position  for 
himself  he  said:  'I  get  $1,500  a  year  in  the  Surrogate's  office  and  I  am  not 
required  to  show  up.  A  court  clerk's  salary  is  $2,000,  but  what  is  it  when 
you  have  to  show  up  seven  days  a  week?  I  think  I  will  stick  to  the  soft 
snap  in  the  Surrogate's  office.' 

"The  clerks  of  the  Surrogate's  office  say  Scannell  makes  his  appear- 
ance only  when  he  feels  like  doing  so.  For  this  conscientious  perform- 
ance of  his  duty  he  was  appointed  Thursday  last  to  be  administration  clerk 
at  a  salary  of  $2,500  per  year." 

— N.  Y.  World,  February  11,  1894, 

"John  J.  Scannell  resigned  from  the  leadership  of  the  25th  A.  D. 
and  George  F.  Scannell,  administration  clerk  of  the  Surrogate's  office, 
is  to  succeed  him." 

— N.  Y.  World,  January  8,  1898. 

25 


"Mayer  attacks  Scannell,  etc." 

"Marcus  R.  Mayer,  who  is  trying  to  oust  George  F.  Scannell  from 
the  Democratic  leadership  of  the  .25th  A.  D.,  addressed  a  meeting  last 
night.  .  .  .  He  said  Mr.  Scannell  was  .  .  .  before  he  was  appointed 
to  a  $2,000  position  in  the  Surrogate's  office.  Out  of  the  $2,000  a  year 
he  has  lately  bought  a  piece  of  property  worth  $30,000." 

— N.   Y.   World,   September  5,  1902. 

"George  F.  Scannell  appointed  Highway  Commissioner,  (Superin- 
tendent of  Highways)    by  Borough   President  Ahearn." 

— N.  Y.  World,  January  i,  1904. 


WILLIAM     H.     WALKER:       SUPERINTENDENT     OF     PUBLIC 
BUILDINGS  AND  OFFICES ;  SALARY  $5-000  PER  ANNUM. 

Mr.  Walker's  ability  in  the  purchasing  of  supplies  is  set  forth 
in  a  following  chapter.  His  efficiency  as  the  administrative 
officer  of  the  public  baths  system  is  also  indicated  in  a  later 
chapter.  ]\Ir.  Walker  has  held  his  present  office  since  1902,  hav- 
ing been  originally  appointed  by  Borough  President  Jacob  A. 
Cantor. 

Among  the  published  items  concerning  his  career  are  the  fol- 
lowing ;  attention  is  called  to  his  commendable  service  with  the 
establishment  of  recreation  piers  : 

"In  session  of  1892  secured  the  passage  of  an  act  to  provide  for  the 
health  and  recreation  of  the  people  of  New  York  by  setting  apart  certain 
piers  along  the  river  fronts  of  the  City  of  New  York  for  their  use." 

— N.  Y.  World,  July  3,   1892. 

"Walker,  the  Tammany  candidate  for  Assembly  in  the  8th  District, 
was  born  in  Ireland  in  December,  1849.  He  was  educated  in  the  free 
public  schools  of  Dublin  in  his  native  country  and  came  to  New  York 
about  twenty  years  ago.  He  learned  the  trade  of  a  carpenter  and 
builder,  in  which  occupation  he  is  still  engaged.  He  is  a  prominent  mem- 
ber of  the  Tammany  Hall  organization.  He  served  as  a  member  of  the 
Board  of  Aldermen  from  1887  to  i8go.  He  was  elected  to  the  last 
session  of  the  Assembly  from  the  old  9th  District  and  served  on  numerous 
important  committees,  including  those  on  Taxes  and  Retrenchment, 
Privileges  and  Elections  and  on  Trades  and  Manufactures." 

— N.  Y.  World,  November  8,  1892. 

"Former  Alderman  William  H.  Walker,  who  is  fighting  Councilman 
Patrick  J.  Ryder  for  the  Tammany  leadership  of  the  3rd  District,  declared 
last  night  that  Richard  Croker  has  never  been  so  badly  mistaken  as  he 
was  when  he  said  that  when  the  district  fight  was  over  all  those  engaged 
in  it  will  remain  in  Tammany  Hall. 

26 


"  'I,  for  one,  will  not  remain  in  Tammany,  if  we  lose,'  said  Mr. 
Walker.  'If  Croker  beats  us  now  we  will  form  an  independent  democracy 
and  try  again  to  overthrow  him.'  " 

— N.  Y.  Herald,  September  12,  1899. 

"Councilman  Patrick  J.  Ryder  was  again  victorious  in  the  3rd  A.  D. 
Ex-Assemblyman  William  H.  Walker  made  a  good  fight  against  him,  but 
was  not  strong  enough  to  accomplish  his  defeat." 

— N.  Y.  World,  September  20,  1899. 

"Grout  holds  up  Cantor's  bills.  Comptroller  talks  of  investigating 
Bureau  under  Borough  President.  Refuses  to  pay  for  'phones  in  homes 
of  officials."     (Wm.  H.  Walker,  Supt.  of  Public  Buildings,  $66.00  per  year.) 

— N.  Y.  World,  June  27,  1902. 

"Fat  salaries  in  many  jobs  in  Hall  of  Records.  Estimate  of  $95,000 
for  maintenance  next  year.  Reminds  old  timers  of  the  days  of  'Bill' 
Tweed.  City  cannot  use  it  until  next  July.  Cost  of  running  it  exceeds 
that  of  greatest  office  building  in  New   York." 

— N.  Y.  World,  December  28,  1905. 


EDWARD    S.    MURPHY:     SUPERINTENDENT    OF   BUILDINGS; 
SALARY  $5,000  PER  ANNUM. 

Mr.  Murphy  is  a  member  of  Tammany  Hall,  but  a  contractor 
and  builder  as  well.  His  present  office  is  the  first  he  has  held. 
He  was  appointed  to  succeed  Isaac  A.  Hopper,  in  January,  1906. 
Mr.  Hopper  who  had  held  the  position  for  two  years  had  proved 
a  failure  as  the  superintendent  of  buildings,  although  he  had 
secured  a  fortune  as  a  contractor. 

Mr.  Hopper  is  the  leader  of  the  Tammany  Hall  organization 
of  the  31st  A.  D. 

Mr.  Murphy  holds  no  official  position  in  Tammany  Hall. 


STATEMENT  OF  APPROPRIATIONS  TO  THE  PRESI- 
DENT OF  THE  BOROUGH  OF  MANHATTAN. 

1902  Budget. 

General  Administration. 

Salaries : 

Salary    of    the    President $7,500.00 

Salary  of  the  Commissioner   of  Public 
Works,  Clerks,  Assistants,  Engineers 

and  Employees   58,150.00 

$65,650.00 

Supplies  and  Contingencies 8,500.00 

■_ $74,150.00 

Bureau  of  Engineer  of  Street  Openings. 

Salaries  19,120.00 

Bureau  of  Highways. 

Salaries  72,240.00 

Boring  Examinations  for  Grading  Contracts 2,000.00 

Boulevards,  Roads  and  Avenues,  Maintenance  of,      114,150.00 
Flagging  Sidewalks  and  Fencing  Vacant  Lots  in 

front  of  City  Property 2,000,00 

One     Hundred    and    Fifty-fifth    Street    Viaduct, 

Maintenance    and    Repair 6,000.00 

Repairs  and  Renewal  of  Pavements  and  Regrading     360,758.00 

Repaving  Streets  and  Avenues 75,000.00 

Roads,     Streets     and     Avenues     unpaved,     Main- 
tenance of  and  Sprinkling 35,000.00 

Maintenance  of  Eighth  Avenue  Pavement 19,200.00 

Chemical  and  Cement  Laboratory 2,500.00 

688,848.00 

Bureau  of  Incumbrances. 

Salaries   13,100.00 

Removing  Obstructions  in  Streets  and  Avenues...        15,000.00 

28,100.00 

Bureau  of  Sewers. 

Salaries  62,550.00 

Boring  Examinations   3,100.00 

Sewers — Repairing   and    Cleaning,    , 

Payrolls  and  Supplies 165,000.00 

230,650.00 

Bureau  of  Public  Buildings  and  Offices. 

Salaries  and  Wages 259,419.53 

Supplies    and    Repairs    (Including    Rivington    St. 
Bath)    134,000.00 

393419-53 

Bureau  of  Public  Baths  and  Public  Comfort  Stations. 

Salaries  S7.781.50 

Bureau  of  Buildings. 

Salaries   226,000.00 

Rents    16,500.00 

Contingencies  and  Emergencies 8,000.00 

250,500.00 

$1,742,569.03 
28 


1903  Budget. 

General  Administration. 
Salaries : 

Salary  of  the  President $7,500.00 

Salaries    of     Commissioner     of     Public 
Works,  Clerks,  Assistants,  Engineers 

and  Employees   62,500.00 

70,000.00 

Sapplies  and  Contingencies 8,500.00 

78,500.00 

Bureau  of  Engineer  of  Street  Openings. 

Salaries   15,940.00 

Supplies  and  Contingencies   3,180.00 

19,120.0© 

Bureau    of    Highways. 

Salaries   73,400.00 

Boring  Examinations  for  Grading  Contracts 2,000.00 

Boulevards,  Roads  and  Avenues,  Maintenance  of,  114,150.00 
Flagging  Sidewalks  and  Fencing  Vacant  Lots  in 

Front   of   City   Property 2,000.00 

One  Hundred  and  Fifty-fifth  Street  Viaduct,  Main- 
tenance and  Repairs 6,000.00 

Repairs  and  Renewal  of  Pavements  and  Regrading  360,758.00 
Roads,  Streets  and  Avenues  unpaved,  Maintenance 

of  and  Sprinkling 35,000.00 

Maintenance  of  Eighth  Avenue  Pavement 19,200.00 

Chemical  and  Cement  Laboratory 2,500.00 

Riverside  Drive  Viaduct,  Maintenance  of,  17,000.00 

632,008.00 

Bureau  of  Incumbrances. 

Salaries   «. 13,200.00 

Removing  Obstructions  in  Streets  and  Avenues. . .        15,000.00 

28,200.00 

Bureau  of  Sewers. 

Salaries  65,920.00 

Boring  Examinations 3,100.00 

Sewers — Repairing  and   Cleaning,    

Payrolls  and  Supplies 165,000.00 

234,020.00 

Bureau  of  Public  Buildings  and  Offices. 

Salaries  and  Wages 262,421.25 

Supplies  and  Repairs  (Including  Rivington  Street 
Bath)   135,300.00 

397,721.25 

Bureau   of   Public   Baths   and   Public   Comfort   Stations. 

Salaries     56,31 1.25 

Bureau  of  Buildings. 

Salaries   235,050.00 

Rents   16,500.00 

Contingencies  and  Emergencies 8,000.00 

259,550.00 

$1,705,430.50 
29 


1904  Budget. 

General  Administration. 

Salaries: 

Salary  of  the    President .$7,500.00 

Salary  of  the   Commissioner  of   Public 
Works,  Clerks,  Assistants,  Engineers 

and  Employees   62,500.00 

70,000.00 

Supplies  and  Contingencies 8,500.00 

Bureau  of  Engineer  of  Street  Openings. 

Salaries   15,940.00 

Supplies  and  Contingencies   3,180.00 

Bureau    of    Highways. 

Salaries   73,400.00 

Boring  Examinations  for  Grading  Contracts 2,000.00 

Boulevards,  Roads  and  Avenues,  Maintenance  of,  114,150.00 
Flagging  Sidewalks  and  Fencing  Vacant  Lots  in 

Front  of  City  Property 2,000.00 

One  Hundred  and  Fifty-fifth  Street  Viaduct,  Main- 
tenance and  Repairs   6,000.00 

Repairs  and  Renewal  of  Pavements  and  Regrading  410,758.00 
Roads,  Streets  and  Avenues  Unpaved,  Maintenance 

of  and   Sprinkling 35,000.00 

Maintenance  of  Eighth  Avenue  Pavement 19,200.00 

Chemical   and   Cement  Laboratory 2,500.00 

Riverside  Drive  Viaduct,   Maintenance  of,    17,000.00 

Street  Signs,  Maintenance  of,    3,000.00 

Bureau  of  Incumbrances. 

Salaries  13,200.00 

Removing  Obstructions  in  Streets  and  Avenues...        15,000.00 

Bureau  of  Sewers. 

Salaries   65,920.00 

Boring  Examinations  3,100.00 

Sewers — Repairing  and  Cleaning,    

Payrolls  and  Supplies 165,000.00 

Bureau  of   Public    Buildings   and   Offices. 

Salariee  and  Wages 262,421.25 

Supplies  and  Repairs  (Including  Public  Baths  and 
Comfort    Stations) 210,300.00 


78,500.00 


19,120.00 


685,008.0a 


28,200.00 


234,020.00 


472,721.2s 


Bureau    of    Public    Baths   and    Public    Comfort    Stations. 
Salaries   120,526.25 

Bureau  of  Buildings. 

Salaries   235,050.00 

Rents    16,500.00 

Contingencies  and  Emepgencies 8,000.00 

259,550.00 

$1,897,645.50 
30 


5,500.00 


21,320.00 


1905  Budget. 

General  Administration. 
Salaries : 

Salary  of  the  President  $7,500.00 

Salaries  of  the  Commissioner  of  Public 
Works,  Clerks,  Assistants,  Engineers 

and  Employees    62,500.00 

$70,000.00 

Supplies  and  Contingencies   8,500.00 

Bureau  of  Engineer  of  Street  Openings. 

Salaries 18,140.00 

Supplies  and  Contingencies    3,180.00 

Bureau  of  Plighways. 

Salaries    73,400.00 

Boring  Examinations  for  Grading  Contracts 2,000.00 

Boulevards,  Roads  and  Avenues,  Maintenance  of,  114,150.00 
Flagging  Sidevi^alks  and  Fencing  Vacant  Lots  in 

Front  of  City  Property  2,000.00 

One    Hundred    and    Fifty-fifth      Street     Viaduct, 

Maintenance  and  Repairs    6,000.00 

Repairs  and  Renewral  of  Pavements  and  Regrading  410,758.00 
Roads,    Streets   and    Avenues   Unpaved,    Mainten- 
ance of  and  Sprinkling   35,000.00 

Maintenance  of  Eighth  Avenue   Pavement 19,200.00 

Chemical    and    Cement    Laboratory 2,500.00 

Riverside  Drive  Viaduct,  Maintenance  of,  10,000.00 

Street  Signs,  Maintenance  of,    3,000.00 

Bureau  of  Incumbrances. 

.Salaries    15,300.00 

Removing  Obstructions  in  Streets  and  Avenues..        15,000.00 

Bureau  of  Sewers. 

Salaries   65,920.00 

Boring  Examinations   3,100.00 

Sewers — Repairing   and     Cleaning,     Payrolls    and 

Supplies    215,000.00 

Bureau  of  Public  Buildings  and  Offices. 

Salaries  and  wages  336,500.00 

Supplies  and  Repairs  (Including  Public  Baths  and 

Comfort   Stations)    210,300.00 

Rents  of  Offices  in  Park  Row  Building 32,401.01 

—     579,201.01 

Bureau  of  Public  Baths  and  Public  Comfort  Stations. 

Salaries    165,549.50 

Bureau  of  Buildings. 

Salaries   235,050.00 

Rents    16,500.00 

Contingencies  and  Emergencies    8,000.00 


678,008.00 


30,300.00 


284,020.00 


259,550.00 


$2,096,448.51 
Note :     The  budget  allowances  are  completely  expended.     Additional 
expenditures  for  purposes  of  administration  are  shown  in  the  revenue  bond 
account  infra. 

31 


Street  Improvement  Fund  in  the  Borough  of   Manhattan. 
Year.       Amount. 

1902  $447,820.94  These  amoimts  are  met  by  assessment  bonds,  and 

1903  469,315.29    are  later  recovered  in  toto  by  the  city  through  special 

1904  644,203.12    assessments  made  upon  the  property  benefited.    These 

1905  689,180.97    assessments  become  liens  upon  such  property. 

$2,250,520.32 

Fund  for  Restoring  Pavements  in  the  Borough  of  Manhattan. 

October  28,  1904,  $25,000  was  appropriated  by  the  Board  of  Estimate 
and  Apportionment  for  a  special  fund  for  the  restoring  of  pavements  dam- 
aged by  contractors,  and  building  operations,  in  those  cases  where  con- 
tractors failed  to  make  satisfactory  restoration  of  the  pavements.  The 
amounts  so  expended  become  liens  against  the  property. 

Corporate  Stock  Appropriated  by  the  Board  of  Estimate  and 

Apportionment  at  the  Request  of  the  President 

of  the  Borough  of  Manhattan. 

1902. 

Purpose. 

Repaving  streets. 

Construction  Criminal  Court  Building. 
Baths ;   construction  and  equipment. 
Baths ;  sites  and  construction. 
N.  Y.   County  Court  House. 
Baths ;    sites    and    construction. 
Construction  Criminal  Court  Building. 
N.  Y.  County  Court  House;  plumbing  plans. 


1903. 
N.   Y.  County  Court  House;   renovation  and  im- 
provement. 
Repaving    streets. 
Repaving  streets. 
Seven  Public  Comfort  Stations. 
Baths;  plans. 

Riverside  Drive  Extension,  viaduct,  borings. 
N.   Y.   County  Court  House. 
N.   Y.   County  Court  House. 
N.   Y.   County  Court   House. 
N.   Y.   County   Court   House. 
Riverside  Drive  Extension. 
Baths.     (23rd  Street,  $200,000.00.) 
N.  Y.    County   Court   House. 
Completion  Criminal  Court  Building. 
Riverside  Drive  Extension. 
Riverside  Drive  Extension. 
Baths ;  completion  23rd  Street. 
Repaving  streets. 


•Cancelled. 

* ♦.$3,150,000  was  appropriated  on  this  date  for  the 
city  at  large,  but  it  was  not  divided  among  the  various 
boroughs  until  June  5,  1903. 

32 


Date. 

Amount. 

4-18-02 

$1,200,000.00 

5-23-02 

75,000.00 

6-  6-02 

105,000.00 

6-13-02 

220,000.00 

7-25-02 

3,000.00 

10-13-02 

83,000.00 

II-  7-02 

30,000.00 

12-  5-02 

1,35770 

$1,717,35770 

I -16-03 

*  100,000.00 

2-20-03 

800,000.00 

2-20-03 

**955,ooo.oo 

3-27-03 

225,000.00 

2-27-03 

5,000.00 

I-  9-03 

70316 

4-24-03 

2,500.00 

5-22-03 

3,236.65 

6-  5-03 

17,025.05 

6-15-03 

1,41775 

7-  1-03 

800,000.00 

7-  1-03 

648,500.00 

7-1S-03 

25500 

7-22-03 

52,000.00 

9-23-03 

743,336.96 

12-  4-03 

1,750,00000 

12-  4-03 

75,000.00 

12-  4-03 

158,000.00 

6,336,974-57 

100,000.00 

5,236,974-57 


1904. 

Date.         Amount.         Purpose. 
3-31-04         900,000.00     Repaying  streets. 

4-15-04         127,000.00    Thirteenth  District  Magistrate's  Court;  purchase. 
4-29-04  23,520.00     Edgecombe  Avenue  retaining  wall. 

5-19-04  50,000.00     Repairs  to  N.  Y.  County  Court  House. 

5-19-04         633,000.00     Four  baths ;   sites  and  buildings. 
5-27-04  35,000.00     Thirteenth    District    Magistrates'    Courts ;    repairs 

and  improvements 
6-24-04  45,000.00     Repairs  to  City  Hall. 

7-15-04  20,000.00     Repairs  to  Brownstone  Building,  City  Hall  Park. 

9-16-04  10,000.00     Hudson    Memorial    Bridge ;    plans,    surveys    and 

buildings. 
9-30-04  25,000.00     Permanent     Betterments    to    57th    St.,    Jefferson 

Maiket,  and  Harlem  Court  houses. 
9-30-04  20,000.00     Public  Comfort  Stations. 

12-23-04  30,000.00     Street  signs. 


$1,918,520.00 


1-27-05 

900,000.00 

I-27-OS 

100,000.00 

1-27-05 

250,000.00 

2-24-05 

9,000.00 

3-16-05 

25,000.00 

3-I6-OS 

100,000.00 

3-16-05 

300,000.00 

4-  7-05 

10,000.00 

5-  5-05 

75,000.00 

9-IS-05 

25,000.00 

9- I 5-05 

200,000.00 

11-24-05 

264,000.00 

9-22-05 

100,000.00 

12-18-05 

10,500.00 

$2,368,500.00 

1905. 

Repaying  streets. 

Repaying  streets. 

Repaying  streets. 

Completing  repairs  to   13th   Dist.   Court. 

Public  comfort  stations. 

Reconstructing  sewers. 

Two  baths ;  sites  and  construction. 

Lafayette  boulevard  retaining  wall. 

Improving    four    markets. 

Delancey   street   improvement. 

Repaying   streets. 

Improving  7th  avenue,  iioth  to  153rd  streets. 

RecoTistructing  sewers. 

Criminal  Court  building;   improvements. 


Summary. 

Years.  Amount. 

1502 $1,717.35770 

1903 6,236,974.57 

1904 1,918,520.00 

1905 2,368,500.00 

$12,241,352.27 

1902  and  1903 $7,954,332.27 

1904  and  1905 4,287,020.00 


Total  4  years  $12,241,352.27 

33 


Special  Revenue  Bonds  Appropriated  by  the  Board  of  Esti- 
mate and  Apportionment  at  the  Request  of  the  President  of  the 
Borough  of  Manhattan, 


1902 


Date. 

Amount. 

Purpose. 

5-16-02 

$40,000.00 

Street  signs. 

7-28-02 

100,000.00 

Repairing  and  reconstructing  sewers. 

7- 1 1 -02 

25,000.00 

Repairs  to  City  Hall. 

0-12-02 

25,000.00 
$190,000.00 

Repairs  to  City  Hall. 

1903. 

Refurnishing  City  Hall. 
Children's  Court;  repairs  and  alterations. 
Repairing  and  reconstructing  sewers. 
Street  signs. 

Refurnishing  N.  Y.   County  Court  House. 
Cleaning   Markets. 

Equipping  and  maintaining   12th    and    13th   Dist. 
Municipal  Courts. 


1904. 

I-  5-04  15,000.00  Redecorating   City  Hall. 

2-19-04  2,650.00  Portrait  Hon.  Andrew  H.  Green. 

3-  4-05  12,000.00  Office    furniture,    General     and     Special     Sessions 

Courts,  Criminal  Court  Building. 

4-22-04  100,000.00  Repairing  and  reconstructing  sewers. 

4-29-04  50,000.00  Repairs  to  N.  Y.  County  Court  House. 

5-13-04  50,000.00  Repairing  and   renewing   street  pavements. 

8-  2-04  100,000.00  Cleaning  sewers  and  basins. 


2-20-03 

20,000.00 

3-13-03 

500.00 

5-22-03 

100,000.00 

7-31-03 

15,000.00 

8-19-03 

15,000.00 

10-22-03 

3,0'jo.oo 

I2-II-03 

7,000.00 

$160,500.00 

$329,650.00 


5-  5-05 

50,000.00 

5-26-05 

6,000.00 

6-  2-05 

30,000.00 

6-  9-05 

15,000.00 

7-  7-05 

5,000.00 

7-  7-05 

90,000.00 

7-14-05 

50,000.00 

7-21-05 

25,000.00 

1 1 -24-05 

2,000.00 

12-18-05 

20,000.00 

12-18-05 

6,000.00 

$299,000.00 

1905- 

Repairing  street  pavements. 
Moving  and  equipping  Sheriff's  office. 
Coal ;    baths,   comfort   stations   and   public    build- 
ings. 
Floating  baths,  repairs. 
Repairs  and  alterations  City  Chamberlain's  Office. 

Repairing  and  maintaining  asphalt  pavements. 

Supplies  and  repairs  for  public  buildings. 
Repairs  to  four  markets. 

Repairs  and  alterations  City  Chamberlain's  Office. 
Repairing  and  maintaining  asphalt  pavements. 
Repairs  to  N.  Y.  County  Court  House. 


34 


Summary. 

Years.  Amount. 

1902 $190,000.00 

1903 160,500.00 

1904 329,650.00 

1905 299,000.00 

$979,150.00 

1902  and  1903 $350,500.00 

1904  and  1905 628,650.00 

Total  for  four  years $979,150.00 

ANALYSIS  OF  THE  PAYROLL  OF  THE  OFFICE  OF  THE  PRESI- 
DENT OF  THE  BOROUGH  OF  MANHATTAN. 


January   31,    1906. 


C.  S. 

Department  ^Tf^^^f' 
Name 


except 
laborers. 

No. 
.  16 
21 
21 
27 
10 
36 
179 


Per 
Annum. 


Salary 

Per 

Month. 


President  .... 
Public  Works. 
Ch.  Engineer. 
Ch.  Engineer. 
St.  Openings.. 
Bur.  Highw's. 
Bur.    Highw's. 

Paving    127 

Roads    3 

Roads    42 

Incumbrances.       11 
Incumbrances.        i 
Pub.  Bldgs.  & 
Offices 

Do. 

Do. 

Do. 

Pub.    Markets.        i 
Pub.    Markets.       2 
Pub.    Markets.    . . . 
Public    Baths 
&■    Comfort 
Stations    i 

Do 38 

Do 2 

Int.  Baths....  106 
Float.  Baths..  17 
Bur.  Bldgs....  179 
Bur.  Seweis..  36 
Bur.  Sewers . .  2 
Bur.    Sewers . .     87 


$35450 

44;250 

33,300 

16,600 
56,950 


5,250 
15,600 


31        Z1,Z1^        

149        

194        $5,940.00 


1,950 


2,550 


234.760 
64,950 


60.00 


135-00 


Wages 


Per    Labor-     Per  Per 

Day.      ers      Week.  Day. 

No. 


$105.50 


655.60    293 
585-16     . . 


485-25 


154-00     132 
3-50        2 


87.00     . . 


268.00     . . . 
48.25     . . . 


37      

2      $24.00 


$795-50 

418.25 
4-00 

85.00 


S.50       14       171.50 
•  •  •  •       37      


379.20     142 


I-23-2S 


14-50 


393-25 


Totals    1,339    $548,980    $6,13500    $2,776.96    665    $195.50    $1,833-75 

35 


Summary. 


No. 

Wages 

No. 

Wages 

No. 

Wages 

No. 

Wages 

Em- 

per 

Em- 

per 

Em- 

per 

Em- 

per 

ploy 

ees  Aunum. 

ployees 

!.  Month. 

ployees, 

,  Week. 

ployees. 

Diem 

i6 

$35,450.00 

194 

$5,940.00 

2 

$24.00 

27 

$105.50 

21 

44,250.00 

2 

60.00 

14 

171.50 

179 

655.60 

21 

33,300.00 

2 

T  35-00 

— 



293 

795-50 

in 

16,600.00 

16 

$195-50 

127 

585-16 

i\j 

36 

56,950.00 

198 

$6,135.00 

42 

154-00 

3 

5,250.00 

132 

418.25 

II 

15,600.00 

3 

7-50 

31 

37,370.00 

149 

485-25 

I 

1,950.00 

37 

85.00 

I 

2,530.00 

39 

128.75 

179 

234,760.00 

44 

101.50 

36 

64,950.00 

106 

268.00 

17 

48.25 

366 

$548,980.00 

87 
142 

379-20 
393-25 

Recapitulation. 


No. 

Employees. 

366, 

198, 

16, 

1,424, 

2,004 


per  annum, 
per  month, 
per  week, 
per  day. 


1,424    $4,610.71 


ANALYSIS  OF  THE  PAYROLL  OF  THE  OFFICE  OF  THE  PRESI- 
DENT OF  THE  BOROUGH  OF  MANHATTAN,  JANUARY  31,  1906. 


Average  Term  of  Civil  Service  Employees  Under  Borough  President. 


Department. 

No. 

Classification. 

Years. 

President 

14 

Office  and  Clerical 

5-20 

Public  Works 

17 

Office  and  Clerical 

11.90 

Chief  Engineer 

48 

Office  and  Technical 

8.60 

Street    Openings 

10 

Office  and   Technical 

*i6.4S 

Bureau   Highways 

22 

Office  and  Clerical 

8.00 

48 

Inspectors 

7.80 

142 

F'oremen 

7.80 

Paving 

41 

Rammers 

8.00 

86 

Pavers 

8.30 

Roads 

3 

Office  and  Clerical 

14.00 

42 

Foremen 

7.00 

Incumbrances 

3 

Office  and  Clerical 

12.20 

6 

Inspectors 

13-60 

I 

Keeper 

19.00 

2 

29.1. 

Foremen 

4-50 

•Av.  for  5  employees, 

36 


Public  Buildings  and  Offices    7 

Office   employees 

9.80 

17 

Janitors 

10.00 

10 

Engineers 

8.50 

2 

Watchmen 

15-40 

23 

Attendants 

7.70 

24 

Foremen 

7.90 

10 

Carpenters 

510 

232 

Cleaners 

8.80 

10 

Firemen 

9.90 

17 

Stokers 

4-30 

2 

I'insmiths 

2.80 

2 

Roofers 

2.30 

5 

Plumbers 

6.60 

3 

Varnishers 

5-8o 

2 

Electricians 

3.00 

2 

Skilled  workers 

3.00 

I 

Skilled  laborer 

1350 

Public  Markets 

I 

Inspector 

7.60 

I 

Assistant  Foreman 

7-50 

I 

Watchman 

540 

Bureau     Public    Baths    and 

Comfort    Stations 

I 

Superintendent 

350 

I 

Foreman 

**7.70 

6 

Cleaners 

**6.70 

33 

Attendants 

**i.50 

Interior  Baths 

S 

Engineers 

2.50 

7 

Firemen 

1.50 

IS 

Stokers 

1.30 

I 

Cleaner 

4.60 

80 

Attendants 

3.00 

Ploating  Baths 

I 

Foreman 

11.25 

2 

Carpenters 

7-75 

14 

Attendants 

5-30 

Bureau  Buildings 

34 

Clerks 

***I0.20 

2 

Watchmen 

2.20 

106 

Inspectors 

7.00 

7 

Stenographers 

7.70 

17 

Messengers 

II. 10 

5 

Cleaners 

6.10 

I 

Driver 

7.70 

5 

Engmeers 

6.70 

Bureau    Sewers 

16 

Clerks 

12.25 

II 

Draughtsmen  and  Axemen 

11.50 

55 

Foremen 

6.10 

29 

Inspectors 

8.60 

13 

Masons  and  Bricklayers 

540 

Av.  term  for  all  employees      T.t 


**Comfort  Stations. 
***26  clerks,  13  years. 


37 


1562^' >'?■ 


THE  BUREAU  OF  HIGHWAYS  AND  STREET  PAVE- 
MENTS. 

The  very  heart  of  the  work  performed  under  the  direction  of 
the  borough  presidents  is  the  making  and  the  maintenance  of 
street  pavements.  A  well-paved  street  does  much  to  make  a 
city  fair  and  healthful.  Upon  it  are  dependent  pleasure  in  driv- 
ing, swiftness  and  economy  in  transporting  goods,  the  life  of 
wagons  and  horses  and  the  health  of  the  population.  There  is 
a  direct  connection  between  a  noisy  pavement  and  the  nervous 
systems  of  the  people  who  live  near  it.  A  pavement  filled  with 
holes  and  depressions  invites  the  accumulation  of  rubbish  and 
filth.  A  poor  pavement  cannot  be  kept  clean,  so  that  organic 
diseases  attributable  to  unclean  pavements,  can  often  be  traced 
further  on  to  the  inefficiency  of  the  highway  engineer. 

Defective  pavements  are  also  a  menace  to  life  and  limb. 
Suits  for  personal  injuries  due  to  the  alleged  faulty  condition  of 
streets,  are  frequently  brought  against  the  municipality ;  in  fact, 
forty-eight  of  such  actions,  involving  the  total  sum  of  $436,250, 
were  pending  in  the  courts  on  December  31,  1905.  These  suits 
concern  the  Borough  of  Manhattan  alone.* 

In  the  borough  of  Manhattan  there  are  427  miles  or  9,270,770 
square  yards  of  pavement.  The  value  of  this  pavement,  esti- 
mated at  the  absurdly  low  figure  of  $2.50  a  square  yard,  is  $23,- 
176,925.  This  is  merely  an  arbitrary  estimate  and  in  no  way 
represents  the  investment  in  pavements  in  the  Borough  of  Man- 
hattan. It  fairly  indicates,  however^  the  financial  importance  of 
the  problem  dealt  with  by  the  bureau  of  highways. 

*As  bearing  directly  upon  this  subject  the  following  letter  was  sent  by 
Comptroller  Metz.   on   August  1,   1906,   to  the  respective  borough  presidents: 

"Numerous  claims  have  been  filed  with  the  department  for  damage  alleged 
to  be  due  for  personal  injuries  received  in  accidents  due  to  the  negligence  of 
the   City  of  New  York  in  not  propeny  protecting  its  highways. 

"In  some  cases  the  cause  of  the  damage  was  the  dangerous  and  defective 
condition  of  the  pavement.  In  other  cases  it  appeared  that  contractors  who 
received  permission  from  the  city  to  make  excavations  in  connection  with  either 
public  or  private  work,  have  neglected  to  properly  safeguard  the  same,  or  have 
neglected  to  surround  the  excavations  with  lights  which  would  act  as  warning 
signs. 

"Again,  the  accidents  which  resulted  In  injuries  were  due  to  obstructions 
which  were  permitted  to  remain  in  the  street  without  proper  warning  being 
given  of  the  existence  of  the  same. 

38 


The  small  pox  condition  of  Eighth  Avenue  at  the  end 

of  a  ten-year  maintenance  which  cost  the 

city  $iQ,20o  a  year. 


Eighth   Avenue,    w^est    side,    looking    south    from   46th 

Street,  showing  condition  of  asphalt  pavement. 

The  holes  are  filled  with  broken  stone 

and  dirt  making  them  appear 

shallow. 


"The  neglect  of  the  city  in  the  above  respects  has  been  called  to  my  personal 
attention.  By  actual  observation,  I  am  able  to  say  that  the  conditions  set  forth 
in  some  of  the  claims  have  not  been  exaggerated.  The  amounts  which  the  city 
is  compelled  to  pay  out  annually  on  account  of  damages  arising  as  aforesaid, 
is  considerable. 

"I  wish,  therefore,  to  call  your  attention  to  this  character  of  claims  and 
to  the  causes  therefor,  in  order  that  you  might  have  instructions  given  to  the 
inspectors  under  your  jurisdiction,  to  see  to  it  that  when  any  condition  arises 
in  the  public  highways  which  is  apt  to  result  in  an  accident,  that  such  condition 
is  remedied  at  once.  These  instructions  cannot  be  too  explicit,  for  at  times 
the  highways  of  the  City  of  New  York  are  in  such  condition  that  it  would  seem 
as  if  the  city  was  actually  inviting  damage  suits  against  it." 

The  bureau  of  highways  is  presided  over  by  a  superintendent 
who  is  responsible  to  the  commissioner  of  public  works,  who  in 
turn  is  directed  by  the  president.  This  is  the  theoretical  ar- 
rangement. Neither  the  commissioner  of  public  works  nor  the 
superintendent  of  highways  has  any  responsibility  other  than 
that  placed  upon  them  at  the  pleasure  of  the  president.  In  prac- 
tice the  president  is  himself  the  chief  of  the  bureau  of  highways, 
and  directs  its  work.  The  president  delegates,  to  be  sure,  all 
the  technical  details  of  the  work  to  his  engineers.  He  decides, 
however,  what  streets  shall  be  paved,  and  when,  and  what  ma- 
terial shall  be  used  in  the  repaving.  In  controlling  the  actions 
of  the  local  boards  he  determines  when  and  where  new  streets 
shall  be  made,  subject  to  the  financial  approval  of  the  Board  of 
Estimate. 


ASPHALT  PAVEMENTS. 

President  Ahearn,  early  in  his  administration,  gave  special 
attention  to  the  problem  of  asphalt  paving.  He  caused  specifica- 
tions to  be  prepared  which  w.ere  intended  to  permit  the  use  of 
only  those  asphalt  cements  which  contain  a  high  amount  of 
bitumen.  The  specifications  were  particularly  drawn  up  to  ex- 
clude the  asphalt  cement  mined  in  Lake  Trinidad  from  use  in 
Manhattan.  This  cement  was  formerly  the  staple  of  the  asphalt 
trust,  and  is  now  exclusively  used  by  the  Barber  Asphalt  Paving 
Company. 

The  specifications  also  absolutely  exclude  from  use  in  Man- 
hattan, all  asphalts  derived  from  oils,  commonly  known  as  the 
California  asphalts. 

The  Ahearn  specifications  were  first  adopted  by  the  Board 
of  Estimate  on  May  20,  1904,  and  made  applicable  to  all  the 
boroughs.  A  week  later,  on  objection  by  Martin  W.  Littleton, 
at  that  time  president  of  the  Borough  of  Brooklyn,  the  specifi- 

39 


cations  were  limited  in  application  to  the  Borough  of  Man- 
hattan. 


Mr.  Littleton's  objections  to  the  specifications  were  based  on 
a  report  respecting  them  submitted  to  him  by  George  W.  Till- 
son,  then  and  now  chief  engineer  of  the  bureau  of  highways  in 
Brooklyn.  Mr.  Tillson  objected  first  to  the  exclusion  of  Trini- 
dad asphalt,  and  second  to  the  exclusion  of  asphalts  derived 
from  oils.  To  exclude  Trinidad,  he  contended,  would  be  to  pro- 
hibit the  use  of  the  material  then  employed  by  three  paving 
companies  laying  pavements  in  Brooklyn.  By  excluding  as- 
phalts derived  from  oils,  other  companies  would  be  deterred 
from  bidding  on  work.  This  seemed  unwise  to  Mr.  Tillson  be- 
cause, he  pointed  out,  some  of  the  best  pavements  in  Brooklyn 
are  made  of  oil  asphalts.  Mr.  Tillson  believed  that  the  adoption 
of  the  specifications  would  tend  to  create  a  monopoly  in  the 
asphalt  paving  business  in  Brooklyn. 

By  the  adoption  of  the  Ahearn  specifications  the  material 
available  for  asphalt  paving  in  Manhattan  had  been  reduced  to 
two  or  three  cements.  Notwithstanding  the  restriction  in  the 
kinds  of  asphalt  used,  there  has  been  a  reduction  in  the  price  of 
this  pavement  to  the  city.  The  average  price  per  sheet  asphalt 
pavement,  including  only  the  binder  and  wearing  surface  (all  the 
asphalt  parts)  for  the  years  1901-1905  in  Manhattan,  were  as 
follows : 

1902  1903  1904  190S 

$1.12  $1.16  $1.22  $1.07 

A  study  of  various  successful  bids  for  sheet  asphalt  pavement 
in  1904  and  1905  reveals  little  variation  in  the  price  of  the 
asphalt.  Such  variations  as  do  occur  can  generally  be  ac- 
counted for  by  a  corresponding  variation  in  traffic  conditions 
which  determine  very  largely  the  cost  of  maintenance  under  the 
guarantee.  The  successful  bidders  in  these  years  were  the  fol- 
lowing companies : 

The  Asphalt  Construction  Company. 

The  Barber  Asphalt  Paving  Company. 

The  Continental  Paving  Company. 

The  Hastings  Pavement  Company. 

The    Sicilian    Asphalt    Paving   Company. 

The  Uvalde  Paving  Company.? 

The  United  States  and  Venezuela  Paving  Company.? 


1901 

Per  sq. 

$2.98* 

Yard 

2.44 

*Ten  year  guarantee ;  all  other  prices  for  5  year  guarantee. 
tThese   two   companies   are  controlled  by  the  same  persons. 

40 


A  stretch  of  pavement  out  of  maintenance. 


Eighth  Avenue  after  the  refiUing  of  the  conduit  trench. 


5 

Years 

5 

10 

10 

5 

10 

10 

5 

The  complete  pavement,  including  concrete  foundation, 
binder  and  wearing  surface  cost,  in  Manhattan,  on  an  average  of 
$1.54  per  square  yard  in  1905.  This  price  compares  with  the 
1905  price  in  Brooklyn  and  in  other  cities  as  follows : 

City.  Price.  Period  of  Guarantee. 

Manhattan  $i.S4 

Brooklyn    :  .47 

Boston    3.25 

Buffalo    2.50 

Cincinnati    2.00 

Chicago    2.00 

St.  Louis   1 .98 

Rochester    1.85 

Washington    1.59 


The  above  table  speaks  eloquently  for  the  effect  of  the  re- 
duction in  the  maintenance  or  guarantee  period  in  this  city  from 
ten  and  fifteen  years,  under  which  the  old-time  high  prices  pre- 
vailed, to  five  years.  The  lower  price  obtained  in  Rochester 
imder  the  10  year  guarantee  can  be  accounted  for  by  the  differ- 
ence in  trafifiic  conditions  between  that  city  and  Manhattan. 

It  will  doubtless  appear  difificult  to  reconcile  the  assertion 
that  a  practical  monopoly  has  been  established  in  the  supplying 
of  asphalt  cement  with  the  low  price  for  the  pavement.  These 
low  prices  are  partially  explained  by  the  competition  between  the 
Barber  Company,  the  former  Asphalt  Trust,  and  the  so-called 
independents  represented  by  the  various  competing  companies. 
It  is  believed  by  experts  that  the  present  prices  either  represent 
cut-throat  competition  or  a  failure  to  live  up  to  the  specifica- 
tions. The  bureau  of  highways  is  entirely  at  the  mercy  of  the 
companies  with  respect  to  their  fulfilling  the  requirements  of  the 
specifications  regarding  the  asphalt  mixture  used.  The  com- 
position of  this  mixture  can  only  be  ascertained  by  a  careful 
supervision  of  the  process  of  making  the  mixture  in  the  asphalt 
plants.  This  supervision  is  practiced  by  the  government  au- 
thorities in  Washington,  D.  C,  where  the  pavements  are  ad- 
mittedly the  best  in  America.  In  Manhattan  the  inspection  is 
confined  to  an  examination  of  the  work  in  progress  in  the 
streets.  Such  examination  cannot  disclose  the  nature  of  the 
material  used,  nor  is  it  possible  to  determine  the  quality  of  the 
asphalt  used  by  even  a  chemical  analysis  of  the  mixture.  It  is 
conceivable,  therefore,  that  the  companies  use  poorer  material 
than  is  required  by  the  specifications,  taking  care  only  that  the 
pavement  will  not  be  of  such  bad  quality  that  the  cost  of  main- 
tenance during  the  guarantee  period  (5  years)  will  be  excessive. 

41 


The  bureau  of  highways  both  makes  new  streets  and  repaves 
old  ones.  It  also  keeps  in  repair  certain  roads  where  gravel  or 
macadam  is  used.  Its  responsibility  covers  the  following  lengths 
and  yardage  of  several  kinds  of  pavement : 

Square  Yards  Miles. 

Specification  Granite    (Stone  Block) 2,160,224.0  97-33 

Square  Granite                        "              94,076.7  4.21 

Specification  Trap                    "              399>5 13-3  22.74 

Belgian  Trap                            "              298,457.2  14.57 

Sheet  Asphalt  4,872,567.0  242.74 

Block    Asphalt     478,922.0  23.74 

Cobble 3.304-9  -79 

Wood  Block    70,448.9  3-51 

Macadam    893,254.1  17.97 


9,270,768. 1  427.60 

It  will  be  seen  at  once  that  sheet  asphalt  occupies  the  most 
important  position  in  the  paving  problem.  Next  in  importance 
are  the  stone  block  pavements,  of  several  varieties,  which  to- 
gether cover  138.85  miles  of  streets.  This  pavement  is  used  for 
its  durability.  It  is  noisy  and  unsuitable  for  light  traffic.  Sheet 
asphalt  is,  of  course,  the  most  serviceable  pavement  for  general 
use  yet  invented.  It  is  capable  of  an  indefinite  amount  of  repair- 
ing by  the  simple  insertion  of  patches.  It  is  fairly  non-absorbent 
and  is  easily  kept  clean.  The  wood  block  pavement  now  being 
used,  notably  in  lower  Broadway,  is  a  potential  rival  of  sheet 
asphalt.  At  present  it  is  considerably  more  expensive  and 
largely  an  experiment.  The  cobble  pavement  is  a  relic 
of  the  early  practice  in  street  paving.  Its  continuance  on  several 
streets  on  the  East  Side  is  due  to  the  unwillingness  of  the  gas 
company  which  owns  the  abutting  realty  to  submit  to  assess- 
ment for  its  removal.  These  streets,  having  been  paved  by  the 
company,  cannot  be  paved  out  of  the  general  funds  until  an  as- 
sessment pavement  has  been  laid.  The  city  is,  therefore,  pre- 
vented from  substituting  a  modern  pavement  for  the  cobble 
stones  in  these  streets,  because  no  assessment  can  be  levied 
without  the  consent  of  the  property  owners. 

The  block  asphalt  pavement  is  considerably  more  expensive 
than  the  sheet  asphalt  and  is  used  where  grades  are  too  steep  to 
permit  the  use  of  sheet  asphalt  and  where  traffic  conditions  de- 
mand a  pavement  of  its  durability.  In  practice  the  pavement  has 
been  found  difficult  to  keep  in  repair,  after  the  expiration  of  the 
guarantee  period,  because  of  the  constant  variation  of  the  type 
of  block  manufactured.  In  several  streets  it  has  been  necessary 
to  repair  this  pavement  with  patches  of  sheet  asphalt.  Its  pres- 
ent cost  is  $1.60  a  square  yard,  laid. 

42 


Cobble  stone  pavement  laid  by  the  gas  company  which 

refuses  to  submit  to  assessment  so  that  a 

proper  pavement  may  be  laid 


Another   view   of   the    gas    company's   contribution    to 
Manhattan's  paving  problem. 


Tables  of  yardage  and  mileage  of  pavement  in  the  Borough 
of  Manhattan  for  f»ve  years. 


September  30,    1901. 

Square  Linear 

Kind  of  Pavement.                                                               Yards.  Miles. 

Specification  granite   3,209,454.77  145.48 

Square  granite    345,302.00  8.68 

Specification    trap    755,768.05  39-94 

Belgian  trap  845,786.56  22.00 

Sheet    asphalt    3,126,711.57  158.84 

Block  asphalt 214,437.12  11.70 

Cobble    7,924.00  1. 10 

Karri   Wood   1,013.10  .08 

Macadam    1,040,300.93  22.31 

410.13 


9,546,698.10 


December  31,  1902. 

Square  Linear 

Kind  of  Pavement.                                                               Yards.  Miles. 

Specification  granite   2,926,786.97  133-45 

Square  granite    329,171.59  7.81 

Specification  trap   755,768.05  39-94 

Belgian   trap    695,533.86  13.66 

Sheet  asphalt  3,5/6,865.94  178.59 

Block  asphalt    292,345.29  16.27 

Cobble    7,924.00  1. 10 

Karri  Wood 1,013.10  .08 

Macadam    1,038,430.46  22.26 

9,623,839.26  413-16 


December  31,  1903. 

Square  Linear 

Kind  of  Pavement.                                                               Yards.  Miles. 

Specification  granite   2,593,365.40  1 17-99 

Square  granite 314,081.44  7.01 

Specification  trap 673,846.41  35.28 

Belgian  trap    533,937-58  S-2i 

Sheet   asphalt    4,217,373.19  210.21 

Block  asphalt 377,703.34  19-23 

Cobble    7,924.00  1. 10 

Karri  Wood    1,013.10  .08 

Macadam    956,380.59     "         19.44 


9,675,625.05 


415-55 


43 


December  31,  1904. 

Square  Linear 

Kind  of  Pavement.                                                               Yards.  Miles. 

Specification  granite   2,384,391.71  107.27 

Square  granite   307,740.44  6.80 

Specification   trap    559.296-73  28.88 

Belgian  trap    511,720.18  407 

Sheet    asphalt     4,571,916.68  228.29 

Block  asphalt   415,524.87  21.41 

Cobble     3.304.88  .79 

Woodblock    21,196.40  1. 14 

Macadam    935,448.29  18.91 


9,710,540.18  417-56 


December  31,  1905. 


Square  Linear 

Kind  of  Pavement.                                                            Yards.  Miles. 

Specification  granite   2,160,224.00  97.33 

Square  granite    94,076.70  4.21 

Specification    trap    399.513-30  23.74 

Belgian    trap     298,45720  14.57 

Sheet   asphalt    4,872,567.00  242.74 

Block  asphalt    478,922.00  23.74 

Cobble     3.30490  .79 

Wood   block    70,448.90  3.51 

Macadam    893,254.10  17.97 


9,270,768.10  428.60 


NEW  PAVEMENTS  LAID  BY  PRESIDENT  AHEARN. 

The  following  tables  were  prepared  to  show  the  exact  amount 
of  paving  contracted  for  by  President  Ahearn.  To  secure  this 
information  required  a  laborious  examination  of  over  two  hun- 
dred contracts  for  the  purpose  of  ascertaining  their  date  of 
making  and  completion.  The  tables  for  the  first  time  make 
public  the  exact  amount  of  paving  creditable  to  President 
Ahearn's  initiative.  The  reports  of  the  President  show  only  the 
contracts  completed  and  accepted  during  tKe  period  under  re- 
view, regardless  of  whether  they  were  begun  in  that  period 
or  not. 


An  examination  of  the  tables  reveals  the  fact  that  more  con- 
tracts were  bequeathed  to  President  Ahearn  by  his  predecessor 
than  the  Borough  President  himself  initiated  and  carried  to 
completion  in  1904  and  1905. 

44 


Contracts  Completed  During  1904  And  1905,  But  Entered  Into  Prior  To 
The  Administration  Of  President  Ahearn : 

Street   Improvement   Fund. 
(Assessment  Work) 


A 

Lv.  Price 

Square 

Linear 

No.  of 

Per 

Yards. 

Feet. 

Miles. 

Contracts.      Amount. 

Sq.  Yd. 

Sheet  Asphalt    . , 

.  .  .  12,686.99 

3,400.00 

.64 

4          $30,415.27 

$2.39 

Asphalt  Block   . . 

...    7,823.63 

2,308.70 

.43 

5          26,235.78 

3-35 

Granite  Block    . , 

.  .  .  12,123.41 

3.745.71 

.70 

4          44,684.16 

3.6S 

Repaying. 


Sheet  Asphalt 
Asphalt  Block 
Wood    Block 
Granite  Block 


. .  368,748.20 
. .  30,732.60 
. .  11,251.20 
..   16,575.84 


96,477.40 
9,219.80 
3,192.60 
5,295.00 


18.27 

1.74 

.60 

1. 00 


13 
3 
2 


772,77^02 
94,256.19 
41,071.82 
60,173.41 


2.0-9 

3.06 

3.65 
3.63 


Totals. 

Number  of  Contracts 119* 

Mileage  of  Pavement  Laid 23.38 

Amount  Expended ,   $1,069,609.65 


Contracts  Entered  Into  And  Completed  During  The  Administration  Of 
President  Ahearn,  In  1904  And  1905 : 


Street  Improvement  Fund. 
(Assessment  Work.) 


Square 
Yards. 

Linear 
Feet. 

Miles. 

No.  of 
Contracts 

Av.  Price 
Per 
Amount.       Sq.  Yd. 

Sheet    Asphalt 
Asphalt  Block  . 
Granite  Block    . 
Macadam     

.  .      3,502.20 
.  .    18,794.04 
.  .    10,843.90 
.  .    28,079.70 

458.00 
4,906.22 
3,011.80 
6,055.00 

Repaying 

.08 
.93 

•57 
I. IS 

I 

7 
4 

I 

$6,801.70 
49,060.61 
38,883.38 
58,858.21 

$1.94 
2.61 
3.58 
2.09 

Sheet  Asphalt   . 
Asphalt  Block  . 
Wood    Block     . 
Granite  Block    . 

..254,798.90 
.  .    42,738.70 
.  .    59,172.60 
.  .    19,600.6c 

66,401.70 
6,492.50 

15,255.20 
5,938.40 

12.57 
1.22 
2.88 
I.I3 

71 
4 

10 
6 

451,980.39 

102,344.17 

243,919.66 

58,779.78 

1-77 
2-39 
4.12 
3-00 

Totals. 

Number  of  Contracts 104 

Mileage   of   Pavement   Laid 20.53. 

Amount    Expended    $1,010,627.90 


•Five  of  these  contracts  were  actually  completed  in  1903  but  the  work  was 
not  accepted  until  1904  ;  while  in  the  case  of  ten  others,  part  of  the  work  was 
done  in  1903  and  part  in  1904. 


45 


The  method  of  bookkeeping  employed  in  the  ofifice  of  the 
borough  president  does  not  permit  of  a  comparison  between  the 
engineering  expenses  and  the  total  cost  of  the  work.  The  total 
expenditures  for  salaries  in  the  bureau  of  highways  for  the  years 
1904-1905  is  not  chargeable  to  work  done  in  paving  and  repay- 
ing. The  staff  gives  also  considerable  attention  to  supervision 
of  the  maintenance  contracts,  to  restoration  of  pavements 
opened  by  corporations,  and  the  like.  The  engineering  charge 
is  an  item  which  the  accounts  of  the  borough  president  should 
reveal. 

The  total  appropriations  for  paving  work  in  Manhattan  for 
the  years  1902-1905  were  as  follows : 

Making  new  streets,  grading,  curbing,  etc. 


Street  Improvement  Fund. 

(These  amounts  are  met  by  assessment  bonds  and  are  later  recovered 
in  full  by  the  city  through  special  assessments  made  upon  the  property 
benefited.     These  assessments  become  liens  against  such  property.) 

1902 $447,820.94 

1903 469,315-29 

1904 644,203. 12 

1905 689,180.97 


$2,250,520.32 


On  October  28,  1904,  $25,000  was  appropriated  by  the  Board 
of  Estimate  and  Apportionment  for  a  special  fund  for  restoring 
pavements  damaged  by  contractors  during  building  operations, 
in  cases  where  the  contractors  failed  to  make  satisfactory  restor- 
ation of  the  pavement.  The  amounts  so  expended  become  liens 
against  the  property. 


Repaying,  Repairing,  Regrading  And   Maintenance  Of  Highways. 

1902. 

Corporate    .Stock    $1,200,000 

Revenue  Bonds   

Budget    610,108 

Total  for  1902 $1,810,108 

46 


1903. 

Corporate   Stock   $1,913,000 

Revenue  Bonds  

Budget    552,108 

Total  for  1903   $2,465,108 


1904. 

Corporate  Stock    $900,000 

Revenue  Bonds   50,000 

Budget    602,108 

Total  for  1904   $1,552,108 


1905. 

Corporate  Stock   $1,714,000 

Revenue   Bonds    210,000 

Budget    S95,io8 

Total  for   1905   $2,519,108 

Total  for  four  years 8,346,432 

Average  per  year  2,086,608 


THE  MAINTENANCE  OF  THE  PAVEMENTS. 

In  1902,  President  Cantor  made  a  radical  change  in 
the  system  under  which  the  sheet  asphalt  pavement  is  main- 
tained. The  older  forms  of  contracts  for  sheet  asphalt  provided 
for  maintenance  by  the  contractor  for  ten  and  fifteen  years,  but 
the  guarantee  period  was  then  reduced  to,  and  now  remains  at, 
five  years. 

In  the  fifteen-year  form  of  contract  for  sheet  asphalt,  20  per 
cent  of  the  contract  price  was  retained  by  the  city  after  the  street 
was  accepted  in  order  to  guarantee  the  fulfillment  of  the  main- 
tenance clause.  The  payment  of  the  money  retained  was  not  be- 
gun until  after  five  years  when  settlement  was  made  in  either 
half-yearly  or  quarterly  installments. 

In  the  ten-year  form  of  contract,  80  per  cent  of  the  contract 
price  was  paid  upon  the  acceptance  of  the  pavement,  the  balance 
(20  per  cent)  being  paid  in  annual  installments. 

The  long  term  guarantee  proved  a  failure.  High  initial 
prices  were  paid  for  pavements,  but  the  contractors  neglected 
to  make  repairs  promptly  and  regularly,  and  it  frequently  hap- 

47 


pened  that  pavements  were  practically  worn  out  at  the  end  of 
guarantee  periods. 

A  reduction  was,  therefore,  made  in  the  term  of  years  for 
which  a  contractor  was  required  to  keep  the  pavement  laid  by 
him  in  good  condition.  Even  now  great  difficulty  is  encountered 
in  keeping  alive  the  contractor's  interest  in  his  pavement. 

The  present  form  of  five-year  guarantee  contract  permits  the 
city  to  retain  20  per  cent  of  the  contract  price  for  one  year. 
After  that  period  the  contractor  is  under  bond  to  carry  out 
provisions  of  the  maintenance  clause  which  expires  five  years 
from  the  date  of  the  acceptance  of  the  pavement. 

Full  payments  of  the  contract  price  are  made  on  acceptance 
of  the  pavements  in  the  case  of  asphalt  block  and  wood  block 
pavements.  Asphalt  block  is  laid  with  five-year  maintenance 
guarantee  and  wood  block  with  ten.  No  satisfactory  reason  can 
be  found  for  returning  to  the  ten-year  maintenance  in  the  case  of 
wood  block  pavement.  The  average  price  for  this  pavement  per 
square  yard  was,  in  1905,  $4. 10^^  including  concrete  foundation. 
It  cannot  be  questioned  that  the  obligation  to  maintain  the 
pavement  for  ten  years  results  in  an  increased  initial  price. 

The  whole  contract  price  is  paid  for  granite  block  pavement 
on  acceptance  of  the  work,  the  contractor  being  required  to 
maintain  the  pavement  in  good  condition  for  one  year  only. 
After  the  expiration  of  one  year  the  bureau  of  highways  makes 
the  repairs  on  this  pavement.  The  work  is  done  by  a  gang  of 
mechanics  and  laborers  under  the  direction  of  the  superintend- 
ent of  highways.  In  1904  the  average  cost  in  labor  alone  for 
relaying  one  square  yard  of  stone  pavement  was  $1.52.  In  1905 
the  cost  rose  to  $1.54. 

Repair    Gang,    Bureau    Of   Highways. 

1904. 

Horse  and 

Mechanics.  Laborers.  Cart.        Teams. 

Quarter  ending  March  31 246  214  78  5 

Quarter    ending    June  30 252  210  98  6 

Quarter  ending  September  30 259  212  103  7 

Quarter  ending  December  S- 260  211  loi  7 

Square  yards  of  pavement  taken  up  and  relaid  in  year 244,960 

Payroll  for  the  year  $372,876.93 

Cost  per  sq.  yd.  of  relaying  stone  pavement  on  the  basis  of  the 

payroll     $1.52 

-Average  mechanics  for  four  quarters  466 

48 


Horse  and 

Laborers. 

Cart. 

Teams. 

187 

63 

I 

195 

100 

5 

187 

116 

5 

177 

114 

6 

aid  in  yea 

r 

262,716 

1905. 

Mechanics. 

Quarter  ending  March  31 250 

Quarter  ending  June  30 248 

Quarter  ending  September  30 260 

Quarter  Ending  December  31 ..... .  .258 


Payroll  for  the  year  . . ' $405,020.45 

Cost  per  sq.  yd.  of  relaying  stone  pavement  on  the  basis  of  the 

payroll   $1-54 

Average  mechanics  and  laborers   for   four  quarters 441 

It  will  be  observed  that  while  the  laboring  force  was  reduced 
by  25  in  1905  from  1904,  the  quantity  of  pavement  taken  up  and 
relaid  was  greater  by  17,756  square  yards  than  in  190-1.  Not- 
withstanding a  smaller  average  of  men  engaged  upon  this  work 
in  1905  than  in  1904  there  was  an  increase  in  1905  of  $32,143.53 
in  the  payroll  over  1904. 

The  Borough  of  Manhattan  has  no  organization  or  plant  for 
repairing '  asphalt  pavements,  and  when  streets  revert  to  the 
care  of  the  city  after  the  expiration  of  the  guarantee,  a  repair 
contract  is  made  on  the  basis  of  the  square  yards  actually  re- 
stored. The  yardage  to  be  repaired  during  the  term  of  the  con- 
tract is  approximately  estimated  by  the  bureau  of  highways  be- 
fore the  contract  is  awarded. 

Such  repairs  are  guaranteed  only  during  the  term  of  the 
contract  which  is  now  made  year  by  year.  The  present  con- 
tract (1906)  was  awarded  to  the  Uvalde  Company  at  the  rate  of 
75  cents  per  square  yard  restored.  The  inspectors  of  the  bureau 
designate  the  parts  of  the  pavements  to  be  restored  and  are  re- 
quired to  measure  the  area  repaired.  No  discrimination  is  made 
with  respect  to  the  causes  of  the  defect  under  the  general  repair 
contract.  The  work  of  repairing  involves  only  the  replacing 
of  binder  and  wearing  surface,  the  foundation  of  cobble,  stone 
block  or  concrete  being  usually  intact.  By  the  end  of  1906,  650,- 
000  square  yards  of  asphalt  pavement  will  be  under  the  care  of 
the  bureau  of  highways,  the  guarantee  of  the  original  pavers 
having  expired. 

Considerable  difficulty  is  experienced  in  keeping  the  pave- 
ments under  maintenance  in  good  condition.  The  contractors 
are  liable  only  for  defects  which  occur  from  ordinary  wear  and 
tear.  It  is  frequently  difficult  to  determine  the  causes  of  defects. 
Often  the  pavement  is  injured  by  bonfires  and  the  burning  of 
rubbish  in  the  street  by  irresponsible  or  malicious  persons. 

49 


The  chief  injury  to  the  pavement  is  caused  by  openings  made 
by  corporations  and  city  departments  to  gain  access  to  gas 
mains,  electric  Hght  and  telephone  conduits,  water  mains, 
sewers,  and  the  like.  This  problem  is  discussed  below  under  the 
head  of  'pipe  galleries.'  It  is  necessary  to  give  here,  however, 
certain  facts  respecting  the  methods  employed  to  minimize  the 
damage  done  the  pavements. 

It  is  within  the  power  of  the  borough  president  to  prohibit 
the  opening  of  the  street  surfaces.  This  he  sometimes  does 
when  he  wishes  to  preserve  from  injury  a  newly  laid  pavement. 
It  is  obvious,  however,  that  in  case  of  emergency  access  must  be 
had  to  the  sub-surface  works  no  matter  how  recently  the  pave- 
ment had  been  laid.  The  public  service  corporations,  gas,  electric 
light,  telpehone,  etc.,  are  granted  permits  to  open  the  streets 
by  the  borough  president.  When  the  pavement  is  under  main- 
tenance guarantee  the  corporation  becomes  liable  to  the  paving 
company  to  the  extent  of  the  damage  done.  The  city  receives  no 
return  for  the  permit  to  open  streets  granted  these  corporations 
but  exacts  a  bond  for  the  proper  compliance  with  the  condition 
of  the  permit,  including  the  restoration  of  the  pavement.  In  the 
case  of  cuts  made  by  the  city  departments,  the  repairs  are  made 
at  the  city's  expense,  under  the  general  maintenance  contract. 

The  bureau  of  highways  assumes  responsibility  for  the  res- 
toration of  pavement  removed  by  plumbers  and  others  than  city 
departments  and  the  public  service  corporations.  Regular 
charges  are  made  for  these  permits  varying  with  the  amount  of 
pavement  likely  to  be  disturbed.  The  cost  of  restoring  the 
pavement  is  covered  by  the  charges.  If  an  excessive  amount  is 
found  to  have  been  required  of  the  applicant  restitution  is  made. 

It  is  contrary  to  ordinance  for  an  opening  to  be  made  in  the 
street  without  a  permit  from  the  borough  president,  except  in 
emergency  during  the  hours  when  the  borough  president's  office 
is  closed.  It  is  the  duty  of  the  police  to  prevent  the  opening 
of  street  pavements  where  no  permit  or  urgency  can  be  shown. 

The  following  are  the  charges  made  for  plumbers'  openings : 

Sheet  asphalt  for  water  connection;  8  sq.  yards $36.00 

Sheet  asphalt  for  sewer  connection ;  12  sq.  yards 54-00 

Wood  or  asphalt  block  for  water ;  10  sq.  yards  40.00 

Wood  or  asphalt  block  for  sewer ;   16  sq.  yards   64.00 

Granite  block  for  water ;  4  sq.  j^ards,  $8  for  first  yard  and  $4  a 

yard   for  the   rest,    equalling 20.00 

Granite  block  for  sewer ;  6  sq    yards,  $8  for  the  first  yard  and  $4 

a  yard  for  the  rest,  equalling 28.00 

Old  stone  pavement ;    sewer   repairs,    10.00 

Old    stone    pavement ;    water    repairs,    4.00 

Old  stone  pavement,  new  connection  from  curb  to  main 6.00 

]\Iacadam,  a  running  foot,    2.00 

50 


A  part  of  the  Lexington  Avenue  trench.    Notice  the  in- 
cumbrance of  the   sidewalk  and   roadway 
with  excavated  material. 


,1     ■ 

What  happens  to  the  sidewalk  when  conduits  are  laid. 
Lexington   Avenue,   west    side,   south 
from  35th  Street 


The  revenue  derived  from  this  source  was : 

In  1904   $153,70300 

In  1905    170,474.00 

No  limitation  is  placed  by  ordinance  or  regulation  upon  the 
amount  of  pavement  that  a  corporation  may  open  at  one  time. 
It  was  stated  in  the  office  of  the  chief  engineer  that  usually  five 
or  six  blocks  are  opened  at  one  time,  but  that  longer  openings 
are  permitted  if  it  is  believed  that  the  work  can  be  done  mofe 
quickly  in  consequence.  It  is  known  what  these  openings  entail. 
In  some  instances  they  practically  close  whole  streets  to  traffic. 

It  is  believed  that  public  welfare  warrants  the  imposition  of 
vigorous  restrictions  upon  the  companies  making  these  open- 
ings. It  is  asserted  on  good  authority  that  the  work  could  be 
as  economically  accomplished  if  one  block  was  opened  at  one 
time,  the  cut  in  that  block  being  filled  before  the  next  block  is 
opened.  A  flagrant  example  of  the  abuse  of  this  privilege  to 
open  the  street  surface  was  exhibited  by  a  conduit  com.pany 
which  tore  up  Eighth  and  Lexington  avenues  from  end  to  end 
this  spring.  A  careful  examination  of  this  work  was  made  by 
the  Bureau  of  City  Betterment.  On  Lexington  Avenue  from  32d 
street  to  86th  street,  on  April  18,  a  distance  of  54  blocks, 
trenches  were  dug  and  open  in  32  blocks,  while  the  materials 
for  constructing  the  conduits  were  stored  along  the  street  for 
the  entire  distance  examined.  The  street  was  found  opened  by 
blocks  as  follows : 


SYz  blocks  unopened;  4%  blocks  opened. 

2  blocks  unopened ;  J2>^  blocks  opened. 

4J/2  blocks  unopened ;  6  blocks  opened. 

4  blocks  unopened ;  9  blocks  opened. 

7  blocks  unopened . 

Eighth  Avenue  from  14th  Street  to  124th  Street  was  lound 
on  the  following  day  as  follows :  Open  in  62^  blocks ;  refilled 
in  28|  blocks ;  intact  in  20  blocks  out  of  a  total  of  111. 

These  excavations  are  made  along  the  roadway  near  the 
curb.  The  piling  of  dirt  and  rubble  on  the  margin  of  the  ex- 
cavation, which  is  usually  between  two  and  three  feet  wide,  ren- 
ders fully  one-half  of  the  street  impassable.  It  is  a  common- 
place that  it  is  impossible  to  refill  a  cut  in  the  street  so  com- 
pactly that  no  settlement  will  occur  after  the  pavement  is  re- 
placed. The  settlement  always  occurs.  The  paving  companies 
usually  postpone  the  repaving  as  long  as  possible  after  the  cut 
is  made  so  that  the  earth  may  solidify.     In  the  meantime  the 

51 


opening  is  covered  with  a  temporary  pavement  of  irregularly  set 
stone  blocks.  These  half-restored  cuts  are  dangerous,  unsightly 
and  injurious  to  the  surrounding  pavement.  The  constant  open- 
ing of  the  street  pavements,  therefore,  involves  not  only  tem- 
porary inconvenience  to  traffic  of  greater  or  less  degree,  but 
permanent  injury  to  the  highways. 

Possibly  the  extent  to  which  the  practice  of  cutting  into 
pavement  has  grown  can  best  be  shown  by  presenting  the  figures 
published  by  the  bureau  of  highways.  In  1902  the  total  length 
of  trenches  opened  in  the  streets  for  mains  was  98.88  miles ;  in 
1903,  9G.117  miles;  in  1904,  87.907  miles;  in  1905,  108.725  miles. 
The  following  tables  reveal  the  number  of  pavement  openings 
and  also  show  that  most  of  the  work  of  destruction  was  per- 
formed by  public  service  corporations. 


Summary  Of  Pavement  Openings. 


Classi- 
fication. 

Mains  to   lay   and 
overhaul 

Services,  to  lay  and 
repair 

Total 

Railways,    to  con- 
struct and  repair. 


Classi- 
fication. 

Mains   to   lay   and 
overhaul 

Services,  to  lay  and 
repair 

Total 

Railways,    to   con- 
struct and  repair. 


1902. 
Made  by  Corporations. 


Made  by  City  De- 
partments. 


Elec- 
triciiy. 

577 


other  Pur- 
Gas.        Steam,    poses.    Water.      Steam.      Total 


1S9 
4,890    14,279 


5,467   14,468 


620 
624 


1903. 

Made  by  Corporations. 


2      1,436  272      2,480 

Made  by  Plumbers. 
4      1,483         750     22,020 
6      2,919       1,022     24,506 

10,155 

Total     34,661 

Made  by  City  De* 
partmcnts. 

Elec-  Other  Pur- 

tricity.         Gas.        Steam,    poses     Water.      Sewer.      Total. 

891  232  5  7       1,414  285       2,834 

Made  by  Plumbers. 
480  ..     1,204  678    21,269 

485  7     2,618         963     24,103 

8,134 

Total,     32,237 


6,097  12,810 
6,988  13,042 


52 


1904. 

Made  by  Corporations. 


Classi-  Elec- 

fication.  tricity. 

Mains   to   lay   and 

overhaul 92 

Services,  to  lay  and 

repair 7,407 

Total 8,335 

Railways,    to   con- 
struct and  repair 


Made  by  City  De- 
partments. 


other  Pur- 
Gas       Steam,    poses.      Water.    Sewer.      Total. 


151  4 

11,802        627 
11,953       631 


3,044        302       4,450 
Made  by  Plutnbers. 


1,772 

769     22,377 

4,816 

1,071     26,827 
2, SOI 

Total,     29,328 


1905. 

Made  by  Corporations. 


Classi-  Elec- 

fication.  tricity. 

Mains   to   lay   and 

overhaul 1,612 

Services,  to  lay  and 

repair 8,798 

Total 10,410 

Railways,    to    con- 
struct and  repair 


Made  by  City  De- 
partments. 


other  Pur- 
Gas.       Steam,    poses.      Water.     Sewer.      Total. 


169 

14 

62 

2,050  145  4,052 
Made  by  Plumbers. 

10,325 

547 

1,662     1,067    22,399 

10,494 

561 

62 

3,712  1,212  26.451 
3,937 

Total,     30,388 

PIPE  GALLERIES. 

It  is  certain  that  New  York,  and  especially  the  borough  of 
Manhattan,  can  never  have  good  or  lasting  pavements  so  long 
as  it  is  necessary  to  disturb  street  surfaces  for  the  purpose  of 
laying  and  repairing,  or  connecting  gas,  water  and  steam  mains, 
pneumatic  tubes,  electric  and  other  conduits.  The  constant 
cutting  of  pavements  causes  great  inconvenience  to  the  public, 
makes  the  city's  streets  unsightly  and  often  unserviceable,  de- 
teriorates and  gradually  destroys   the  paving  material,  be  it 

Note — The  ahove  summaries  do  not  include  openings  in  the  surface  of  pave- 
ments made  by  the  bureau  of  highways  and  the  asphalt  companies  for  the  pur- 
pose of  repairing  defects  due  to  ordinary  wear,  nor  openings  to  repair  sidewalks, 
nor  openings  for  temporary  encumbrances,  such  as  poles  to  support  banners  or 
derrick  guys. 


53 


asphalt,  wood  or  granite.  It  is  an  unscientific  and  expensive 
procedure,  but  it  must  ever  continue,  if  conditions  remain  un- 
altered, because  the  life  of  the  city  depends  in  large  measure 
upon  the  maintenance  of  sub-surface  utilities,  by  means  of  which 
heat,  light  and  power  are  furnished  to  a  multitude  of  consumers. 


To  solve  the  problem  involved  in  the  cutting  of  pavements 
a  system  of  pipe  galleries  has  long  been  advocated.  Pipe  gal- 
leries are  underground  tubes,  comparable  in  principle  to  a  rail- 
way subway  or  a  large  sewer,  which  are  provided  with  racks  to 
carry  gas  water  and  steam  pipes,  and  telegraph,  lighting  and 
telephone  wires,  in  short,  all  the  underground  systems  with  the 
exception  of  the  sewer.  The  inclusion  of  the  sewer  is  not  im- 
practicable. Access  to  these  galleries  is  had  from  openings  in 
the  sidewalk  or  street.  The  various  pipe  and  wire  systems  are, 
in  this  way,  capable  of  easy  repair  and  frequent  examination.  If 
such  galleries  were  built  under  every  important  thoroughfare, 
of  a  size  large  enough  to  carry  all  the  pipes  and  conduits  now 
buried  in  the  earth  beneath  the  pavements,  the  maintenance  of 
street  surfaces  would  undoubtedly  be  a  simple  and  inexpensive 
matter,  and  there  would  consequently  be  a  smaller  outlay  for 
rew  pavements.  Moreover,  as  the  sub-surface  structures,  in- 
cluding those  belonging  to  the  city,  would  thus  be  open  at  all 
times  to  inspection,  their  maintenance  as  well  would  be  more 
efificient  and  less  expensive.  It  is  hardly  necessary  to  point  out, 
also,  how  the  appearance  of  the  city  would  be  improved  if  the 
ugly,  ill-smelling  street  trenches,  piled  high  on  all  sides  with 
earth  and  rubble,  could  be  entirely  eliminated. 


The  cost  of  providing  pipe  galleries  throughout  Manhattan 
would,  undoubtedly,  be  enormous.  Against  this  initial  cost 
would  be  set  the  vast  saving  to  the  city  in  the  matter  of  undis- 
turbed pavements,  the  prevention  of  leakage  from  the  water 
mains  and  a  considerable  revenue  derived  in  the  form  of  rent 
from  those  public  service  corporations  whose  underground  sys- 
tems would  find  a  place  in  the  galleries.  Notwithstanding  the 
many  advantages  which  pipe  galleries  would  offer,  it  is  recog- 
nized that  their  immediate  construction  is  less  pressing  than 
the  provision  of  adequate  rapid  transit  facilities,  and  that  the 
diversion  of  the  city's  funds  from  rapid  transit  purposes  to  pipe 
galleries  cannot  be  recommended.  Nevertheless,  it  is  strongly 
urged  that  pipe  galleries  receive  the  attention  of  the  rapid 
transit  authorities  and  that  they  be  incorporated  in  any  under- 
ground railway  system  that  these  authorities  may  cause  to  be 
built. 

54 


A  carelessly  covered  trench  endangering  traffic. 


Laying  a  water  main  under  the  street  pavement. 


A  stone  block  backbone  in  an  asphalt  pavement;  the 
result  of  laying  a  water  main. 


A   congeries    of   refilled   trenches. 


Pipe  g-alleries  are  not  an  experiment.  They  have  existed 
for  many  years  in  several  English  and  European  cities,  and  af- 
ford the  relief  from  pavement  destruction  so  desired  in  New 
York  City,  besides  furnishing  a  simple  medium  by  which  street 
services  may  be  inspected  and  repaired.  In  New  York  the  chief 
opponents  to  pipe  galleries  are  certain  corporate  interests. 
These  interests  are  the  companies  which  own  the  conduits  car- 
rying electric  wires,  and  those  which  supply  gas. 

In  both  cases  the  corporations  are  actuated  by  selfish  mo- 
tives. Pipe  galleries  would  threaten  the  existence  of  the  mo- 
nopoly of  the  electric  subway  companies,  and  would  also  compel 
the  gas  companies  to  maintain  leakless  distribution  pipes.  The 
subterranean  leakage  of  gas  affords  a  further  argument  in  favor 
of  the  urgent  necessity  for  building  pipe  galleries.  As  a  rule, 
a  gas  company  does  not  attempt  to  repair  a  leaky  main  unless 
the  loss  of  its  product  is  abnormal.  Consequently,  an  immense 
quantity  of  gas — one  estimate  is  three  thousand  millions  of 
cubic  feet  a  year — is  diffused  in  the  earth  all  over  the  borough. 
In  the  days  when  the  city  was  paved  with  cobble  stones,  leaking 
gas  could  escape  through  the  surface  of  the  streets,  but  since 
impervious  pavements,  such  as  asphalt,  have  been  laid,  the  gas 
has  been  forced  to  find  other  outlets.  Leaking  gas  follows  the 
path  of  least  resistance.  Some  of  it  finds  its  way  into  cellars 
and  sewers  and  some  accumulates  in  pockets  directly  over  the 
leaky  main  and  beneath  the  impervious  pavement.  If  the  pave- 
ment is  asphalt  the  solvent  in  the  gas  produces  decomposition. 
First  binder  and  then  asphalt  wearing  surface  is  attacked. 
Depressions  in  the  pavement  follow,  and  these  soon  become 
holes.  When  the  solvent  is  exhausted  the  gas  remains  highly 
inflammable,  and  therefore  is  still  a  dangerous  factor  if  intro- 
duced into  sewers  or  the  basements  of  buildings.  -Gas  leakage 
is,  therefore,  a  matter  concerning  both  the  highway  engineer  and 
the  fire  underwriter.  It  is  a  well-established  fact  that  it  causes 
pavement  deterioration,  and  it  is  the  opinion  of  the  National 
Board  of  Fire  Underwriters  that  the  fire  risk  due  to  gas  leakage 
should  be  seriouslv  considered.  It  is,  however,  a  condition  that 
can  be  eliminated  by  the  building  of  pipe  galleries  and  the  plac- 
ing therein  of  all  gas  mains,  which  might  then  be  kept  wholly 
free  from  leakage. 

The  pipe  gallery  scheme  has  still  another  side.  If  these 
chambers  were  built  it  would  be  possible  to  get  rid  of  most  of 
the  different  varieties  of  manholes  now  to  be  found  in  the 
streets.  At  the  present  time  there  are  water,  gas,  telegraph, 
telephone  and  sewer  manholes  scattered  over  the  pavement  at 
intervals  of  a  few  hundred  feet.     All  of  these  have  removable 

55 


covers,  which  when  newly  set,  are  nearly  level  with  the  street 
surface.  As  the  covers  are  made  of  iron  they  naturally  with- 
stand the  wear  and  tear  of  trafBc  better  than  the  asphalt.  Trucks 
and  wagons  bump  over  the  covers,  strike  the  pavement,  and 
cause  depressions  which  soon  become  holes.  Although  they 
cause  great  injury  to  the  pavement,  these  manholes  are  neces- 
sary under  the  present  system  of  underground  engineering.  If, 
however,  the  sub-surface  structures  were  placed  in  the  pipe 
galleries  probably  one  manhole  cover  would  be  necessary  where 
four  now  exist. 

It  has  been  suggested  that  pipe  galleries  be  built  in  connec- 
tion with  the  rapid  transit  subways ;  in  fact,  the  borough  would 
now  be  in  possession  of  at  least  one  gallery  but  for  the  oppo- 
sition of  several  departmental  heads.  In  the  general  plan  for 
the  Elm  Street  subway  route,  the  board  of  rapid  transit  com- 
missioners reserved  the  power  to  cause  pipe  galleries  to  be  pre- 
pared, but  did  not  include  in  the  contract  any  requirement  that 
they  should  be  constructed.  Later  the  matter  was  brought  to 
the  attention  of  the  board,  and  the  chief  engineer  was  ordered 
to  make  an  estimate  of  the  cost  of  the  construction  of  pipe  gal- 
leries from  City  Hall  Park  to  Thirty-third  street.  He  reported 
on  IMarch  16,  1900,  that  the  cost  of  the  galleries  would  probably 
not  exceed  $850,000,  and  that  there  was  no  need  for  galleries 
below  Worth  street.  A  further  report  by  the  chief  engineer 
said  he  deemed  it  necessary  to  have  pipe  galleries  along  Elm 
Street,  from  Worth  Street  to  Astor  Place,  and  that  they  would 
cost  about  $425,000. 

Accordingly,  the  board  commimicated  with  the  contractor, 
who  agreed  to  build  the  galleries  and  actually  entered  upon  the 
work  of  construction,  making  some  progress.  On  November  1, 
1900,  however,  the  board  was  notified  by  the  commissioner  of 
sewers  that  he  objected  to  the  plans  for  the  pipe  galleries.  The 
chief  engineer  of  the  department  of  water  supply  also  voiced 
his  objection  to  the  scheme.  As  the  pipe  gallery  plan  had  been 
widely  published,  and  encountered  no  opposition,  these  belated 
protests  were  a  surprise  to  the  rapid  transit  commissioners, 
who  thereupon  sounded  all  the  city  departments  interested. 
These  authorities  expressed  doubt  as  to  the  practicability  of  the 
galleries,  and  also  raised  certain  questions  concerning  the  con- 
trol after  construction.  Then  the  contractor  asked  permission  to 
discontinue  work  because  of  engineering  obstacles  and  the  atti- 
tude of  the  authorities.  This  permission  w^as  granted  and  the 
galleries  w^ere  abandoned. 

After  this  fiasco  the  pipe  gallery  proposition  languished 
until  Borough   President   Cantor  took  office,  as  the  city  au- 


Waiting  for  a  corporation  cut  to  'settle. 


Murray  Street,  looking  west  to  Church  Street,  showing 

condition   of  wood   block  pavement  relaid   over 

recent  trench  openings.     The  condition  of 

the  pavement  is  very  much  worse  than 

the   photograph   shows. 


A  refilled  trench  in  a  narrow,  busy  street. 


A  ruined  street  caused  by  the  laying  of  a  water  main. 


thorities  apparently  did  not  want  them  and  the  Rapid  Transit 
Act  did  not  confer  upon  the  board  the  power  to  build  galleries 
except  where  necessary  as  a  part  of  railroad  subways.  Mr. 
Cantor  retained  Dr.  James  C.  Bayles  to  prepare  plans  for  a 
gallery  from  Ann  Street  to  Wall  Street,  to  be  built  at  the  same 
time  as  the  subway  spur  between  those  points.  Funds  were 
voted  for  the  work,  and  advertisements  for  bids  were  published, 
but  suit  was  begun  in  the  Supreme  Court  by  a  taxpayer  and 
an  injunction  obtained  against  the  construction  of  the  proposed 
galleries  upon  the  ground  that  the  commissioner  of  water  sup- 
ply, gas  and  electricity  and  not  the  borough  president  had 
charge  of  the  matter. 

The  last  Legislature,  in  amending  the  Rapid  Transit  Act,  gave 
the  board  of  rapid  transit  commissioners  power  to  build  pipe 
galleries  in  con7iection  with  all  new  subways,  but  it  is  a  question 
whether  this  work  will  be  done  2inless  the  city  authorities  in  charge  of 
stib-surface  structures  demand  chambers  for  them.  As  the  officer 
controlling  the  pavements  and  the  seivers,  it  is  certainly  the  duty  of 
the  Boro2igh  President  to  advocate  pipe  galleries.  That  part  of  the 
sezoer  system  ivhicli  must  necessarily  be  rebuilt  in  connection  with  the 
new  subways  might  eve7i  be  made  an  adjunct  of  future  pipe  galleries. 

The  Borough  President  is  well  acquainted  with  the  facts. 
He  knows  that  pavement  deterioration  and  destruction  will 
continue  indefinitely  unless  pipe  galleries  are  built.  While  he 
has  no  legal  power  to  undertake  the  improvement  he  can  at 
least  take  the  initiative  in  fostering  it.  His  official  position  is 
such  that  his  advocacy  of  pipe  galleries  would  have  to  be  ser- 
iously considered  by  the  rapid  transit  commission.  Because 
this  disposition  of  sub-surface  works  forms  the  solution  of  main- 
taining the  pavements,  and  because  the  Borough  President  is 
morally  bound  to  conserve  this  valuable  property,  he  cannot 
allow  the  matter  to  rest  undisturbed  without  laying  himself  open 
to  the  charge  of  indillference  to  the  city's  interests. 


CORPORATION  INSPECTORS. 

In  connection  with  the  opening:  of  street  surfaces  bv  corpora- 
tions, there  remains  one  more  point  for  discussion.  This  relates 
to  the  inspection  of  the  work  done  by  corporations  under 
permit  from  the  borough  president.  Any  work  which  in- 
volves the  disturbance  of  the  surface  of  streets  by  corporations 
holding  franchises  is  carried  on  under  the  supervision  of  cor- 
poration inspectors,  who  are  appointed  by  the  borough  presi- 
dent, but  are  paid  by  the  companies  whose  work  they  pass  upon. 

57 


While  corporation  inspectors  are  not  specifically  mentioned 
in  the  charter,  the  reason  for  their  appointment  is  found  in  sec- 
tion 391,  which  reads  in  part  as  follows : 

"No  removal  of  the  pavement  or  disturbance  of  the  surface  of  any 
street  for  the  purpose  of  constructing  vaults  or  lateral  ways,  digging  cel- 
lars, laying  foundations  of  buildings  or  other  structures,  making  sewer  con- 
nections or  repairing  sewers  or  pipes,  of  laying  down  gas  and  water  pipes 
steam  pipes  and  electric  wires,  or  introducing  the  same  into  buildings,  or  lor 
any  purpose  whatsoever,  shall  be  made  until  a  permit  is  first  had  from  the 
president  of  tlie  borough  where  the  work  is  to  be  done.  .  .  .  But  noth- 
ing herein  contained  shall  be  deemed  to  prohibit  said  borough  president 
from  demanding,  before  issuing  said  permit,  and  as  a  condition  thereof, 
the  deposit  of  such  sum  of  money  or  other  security,  as,  in  his  judgment, 
may  be  necessary  to  pay  the  cost  of  properly  relaying  the  pavement  so  re- 
moved, together  with  the  expense  of  tlie  inspection  thereof." 

The  'corporation'  inspectors  see  to  it  that  the  corporations 
perform  the  work  of  laying  pipes  or  conduits  in  the  streets  or 
repairing  their  sub-surface  works  according  to  the  provisions 
of  the  permit  issued  by  the  borough  president.  They  have  to 
do  only  with  the  openings  in  pavements  made  by  the  corpora- 
tions. They  are  supposed  to  see  to  it  that  the  pavement  is 
properly  restored,  but  this  work  devolves  largely  upon  the  regu- 
lar inspection  force  of  the  bureau  of  highways.  The  work  as- 
signed to  the  corporation  inspectors  is  similar  to  that  of  the 
regular  highway  inspectors.  Being  political  appointees  in  every 
respect,  they  are  required  to  have  none  but  political  qualifica- 
tions. Their  authority  is  limited  to  stopping  work  done  in  vio- 
lation of  the  terms  of  the  permit.  The  compensation  of  the 
corporation  inspectors  is  $4.00  a  day  for  short  jobs  and  $100  a 
month  when  a  piece  of  work,  such  as  the  laying  of  conduits  for 
electric  wires,  is  likely  to  cover  a  long  period. 

The  appointment  of  corporation  inspectors  forms  the  only 
extensive  field  of  patronage  left  for  borough  presidents  and 
their  adherents.  The  men  are  not  civil  service  employes  and 
their  names  do  not  appear  in  the  civil  list  published  half-yearly. 
Their  status  is  seemingly  absurd.  While  actually  employed  to 
safeguard  the  city's  interests,  they  are  paid  by  the  corporations 
whose  work  they  are  supervising.  They  hold  a  double  alle- 
giance, as  it  were,  although  it  is  contended  that,  politically, 
they  naturally  remain  true  to  the  interests  of  the  persons  who 
have  power  to  appoint  or  dismiss  them.  For  several  years  the 
Civil  Service  Reform  Association  has  endeavored  without  suc- 
cess to  have  the  Legislature  place  the  corporation  inspectors 
under  the  civil  service  rules,  its  annual  bills  being  subjected 
to  strong  influences  from  persons  who  feared  a  loss  of  pat- 
ronage.    The   measure   drafted  by  the   Civil   Service   Reform 

58 


Association  would  still  permit  the  payment  of  the  inspectors 
by  the  corporations.  There  is  some  difference  of  opinion  as 
to  whether  the  inspectors  can  properly  be  called  city  em- 
ployes as  they  were  paid  by  the  corporations,  but  the  courts 
have  still  to  decide  this  point. 

The  number  of  corporation  inspectors  employed  in  Man- 
hattan fluctuates  between  40  and  45.  As  most  of  the  sub- 
surface work  in  the  streets  is  done  during  the  spring  and  sum- 
mer months,  the  inspectors  find  those  seasons  the  most  profit- 
able. While  the  inspectors  are  useful  as  a  means  of  distribut- 
ing patronage,  they  are  to  some  extent  a  source  of  annoyance 
to  the  borough  presidents.  Naturally,  all  of  the  inspectors 
wish  to  have  steady  employment,  but  if  there  is  not  enough 
work  to  go  around  there  is  bound  to  be  a  certain  amount  of 
favoritism  shown  in  making  assignments.  This  leads  to  dis- 
satisfaction, which  is  likely  to  result  in  demoralization  among 
the  men  who  work  perhaps  only  two  or  three  days  a  week. 

The  system  of  inspection  by  the  so-called  corporation  in- 
spectors does  not  serve,  in  the  slightest  way,  to  safeguard  the 
interests  of  the  city  in  restoring  cuts  in  the  pavement.  It  is  an 
unbusiness-like  and  unprofitable  method  of  dealing  with  the 
problem  of  paving  restoration.  It  is  of  the  greatest  importance 
that  the  damage  to  street  pavements  by  public  service  corpora- 
tions should  not  only  be  as  greatly  restricted  as  possible,  but 
that  every  precaution  be  taken  to  insure  a  workmanlike  and 
expeditious  repair  of  the  damage  done.  It  would  be  more 
equitable  to  charge  the  cost  of  legitimate  inspection  by  city  em- 
ployes to  the  company,  making  its  payment  a  condition  of 
the  permit,  compliance  with  which  it  insured  by  a  bond. 
The  present  method  of  entrusting  the  work  of  inspecting  to 
political  parasites  not  only  does  not  subserve  the  city's  in- 
terests but  savours  of  a  petty  tax  upon  the  corporations  by 
the  borough  president.  In  some  instances  the  corporations 
are  required  to  pay  but  little  more  for  the  restoration  of  the 
pavement  than  they  pay  for  the  'inspection.' 

THE  CONDITION  OF  THE  PAVEMENT  IN  THE  STREETS  BE- 
LOW  FOURTEENTH   STREET   AS    SHOWN   BY   AN    IN- 
SPECTION MADE  BY  THE  BUREAU  OF  CITY 
BETTERMENT. 

In  the  absence  of  records  in  the  bureau  of  highways  from 
which  conclusions  could  be  drawn,  it  was  sought  to  deter- 
mine the  condition  of  pavements  under  maintenance  contract 
(guarantee).  A  total  of  230  blocks  south  of  Fourteenth  Street 
were  examined,  of  which  37  per  cent  were  adjudged  to  be  in 

59 


good  condition.  The  examination  having  been  made  in  May, 
considerable  work  had  already  been  done  by  the  asphalt  com- 
panies to  repair  the  winter's  wear.  Incidentally,  notes  were 
made  of  the  condition  of  19  blocks  on  which  the  maintenance 
guarantee  had  expired  and  95  blocks  of  stone  pavement,  all  of 
which  are  in  the  care  of  the  bureau  of  highways.  It  was  found 
that  only  3  per  cent  of  these  streets  were  in  good  condition. 

It  is  needless  to  state  that  by  means  of  anything  short  of  a 
careful  survey  it  is  impossible  to  determine  the  exact  con- 
dition of  the  highways.  A  conscientious  visual  examination 
will,  however,  easily  discriminate  between  a  pavement  in  per- 
fect condition  and  the  various  degrees  of  disrepair  in  which 
the  city's  highways  fall.  The  detailed  results  of  this  investi- 
gation were  submitted  to  the  chief  engineer  of  the  bureau  of 
highways,  George  M.  Olney,  who  reports  that  his  bureau  has 
investigated  the  streets  designated  as  needing  repairs  and  or- 
dered repairs  to  be  made  accordingly. 

Summary  Of  Inspection. 

No.  of               No.  of  No.  of               No.  of 

blocks  In  blocks  In  blocks  va-  blocks  In 

Type  of  PflToment.                                  good                   fair  rying  from             poor 

condition.  condition,  fair  to  poor.  condition. 

Streets  Under  Maintenance. 

Sheet  Asphalt  52  57  y]  42 

Asphalt   Block    5  i 

Wood  Block  25  I 

Total    82  59  z^  42 

Percentage  of  blocks Z7°/o  27%  17%  .19% 

Streets  Not  Under  Maintenance. 

*Stone   Block   2  19  22  52 

Sheet  Asphalt  2  3  i  13 

Total    4  22  23  65 

Percentage  of  blocks 3%  19%  20%  57% 


MAINTENANCE  OF  MACADAM  STREETS. 

The  maintenance  of  the  eighteen  miles  of  macadam  and 
gravel  roadways  and  the  twenty  miles  of  dirt  roads  in  the 
Borough  of  Manhattan,  is  in  control  of  the  division  of  streets 

*The  condition  of  only  a  small  number  of  blocks  paved  with  stone  was  re- 
corded. This  pavement  being  entirely  maintained  by  the  bureau  of  highways' 
force  cannot  properly  be  compared  with  the  pavement  maintained  under  the 
general  repair  contract. 

60 


A  corporation  cut  covered  with  stone  block,  awaiting 
settlement. 


Building  material  placed   on  unprotected  pavement. 


and  roads  of  the  bureau  of  highways.  Both  in  1904  and  in 
1905  an  average  of  172  workmen  and  53  teams  were  employed 
in  this  work,  which  consisted  of  repairing  washouts  and  gut- 
ters, relaying  flaggings,  and  sprinkling,  scraping,  and  rolling 
the  roadways.  Two  appropriations  are  used  by  the  division 
of  streets  and  roads,  which  expended  in  1904  and  1905  the 
followins:  amounts. 


For  ]\Iaintenance  Of,  And   Sprinkling  Roads,   Streets  And  Avenues, 

Unpaved. 

1904.  1905. 

Payroll $34,98i.37  $34,963-25 

General  Disbursement    


For  Maintenance  Of  Boulevards,  Roads  And  Avenues. 

1904.  1905. 

Payroll $100,887.06  $99,857.48 

General    Disbursements    for    supplies,    repairs    to 

tools,  etc.,  without  contract 13,247.90  11,126.43 

Total $114,134.96        $110,983.91 

In  the  case  of  each  appropriation  the  expenditure  for  1905 
was  less  than  it  was  in  1904. 


THE  INCUMBRANCE  OF  THE   HIGHWAYS. 

The  problem  of  restricting  the  incumbrance  of  the  roadways 
and  sidewalks  of  the  borough  with  private  property  is  one  which 
requires  unintermittent  attention.  The  extensive  building 
operations  in  Manhattan  entail  the  constant  use  of  parts  of  the 
highways  for  the  storage  of  building  materials.  Merchants  must 
be  watched  or  they  will  unduly  occupy  the  sidewalks  before 
their  stores  for  the  display  of  their  wares.  That  the  adminis- 
tration of  the  law  is  lenient  with  respect  to  incumbrances  of  the 
roadways  is  evidenced  by  the  practice  of  permitting  petty  mer- 
chants to  sell  goods  from  portable  stands — pushcarts — on  most 
of  the  crowded  East  Side  streets  and  in  many  of  the  public 
squares  and  thoroughfares  throughout  the  borough.  With  the 
exception  of  the  streets  along  the  water  front,  the  use  of  the 
highways  for  the  storage  of  carts  and  trucks  when  not  in  use, 
at  one  time  a  most  serious  abuse,  has,  during  the  past  several 
years,  been  pretty  thoroughly  abated. 

61 


By  reason  of  conflicting-  charter  provisions,  the  city  sup- 
ports two  bureaus  of  incumbrances  in  the  Borough  of  Man- 
hattan. By  virtue  of  section  547  of  the  charter  all  powers  and 
duties  relating  to  the  removal  of  incumbrances  and  the  issue 
of  permits  to  builders  to  use  the  streets  devolves  upon  the  com- 
missioner of  street  cleaning,  in  the  boroughs  to  which  his  au- 
thority extends,  while  section  383  gives  to  the  respective  bor- 
ough presidents  control  of  the  removal  of  incumbrances  and  the 
right  to  issue  permits  to  builders  and  others  to  use  the  streets. 

The  commissioner  of  street  cleaning  exercises  his  power  to 
cause  the  removal  of  incumbrances  and  has  a  bureau  for  this 
work  in  Manhattan,  but  he  does  not  attempt  to  issue  building 
permits,  leaving  this  function  to  the  borough  president,  who 
also  has  a  bureau  of  incumbrances. 


The  methods  of  the  rival  bureaus  afford  a  contrast  indi- 
cating that  the  work  might  be  done  more  effectively  and  at  a 
smaller  expense  to  the  city  by  one  department.  At  present 
there  is  no  co-operation  and  one  bureau  does  not  know  the 
intentions  of  the  other,  although  the  borough  bureau  can  always 
be  certain  that  the  street  cleaners  will  not  take  incumbrances 
from  the  sidewalk.  This  lack  of  co-operation  results  in  a  du- 
plication of  work  and  a  waste  of  energy. 

For  instance,  a  borough  inspector  may  find  that  a  builder 
is  violating-  the  terms  of  his  permit  by  using  too  much  of  the 
street  for  storage  purposes.  A  short  time  afterwards  a  street 
cleaning  inspector  may  discover  the  same  violation.  Unknown 
to  each  other^  both  men  decide  that  the  incumbrance  should 
be  removed.  The  borough  inspector  notifies  his  bureau,  which 
then  endeavors  to  serve  notice  upon  the  owner  of  the  incum- 
brance, telling  him  that  unless  he  removes  it  forthwith  a 
seizure  will  be  made.  In  the  meantime  the  street  cleaning 
inspector  has  also  been  active,  and  his  bureau,  which  serves 
no  warning  notices,  proceeds  summarily  to  remove  the  incum- 
brance. Consequently,  no  violation  may  exist  by  the  time  the 
notice  of  the  borough  bureau  has  been  served.  If  there  were 
some  definite  arrangement  between  the  bureaus  as  to  the  ma- 
terials to  be  removed  by  each,  such  occurrences  would  be 
avoided  and  a  greater  benefit  to  the  city  would  result. 

The  material  removed  by  the  borough  bureau  is  of  little 
value.  It  consists  largely  of  dirt,  stone,  rubbish,  fallen  trees, 
dangerous  stumps,  deserted  newstands,  signboards,  and  furni- 
ture abandoned  by  dispossessed  families.    The  street  cleaners^ 

62 


A  sidewalk  incumbrance  for  business  purposes. 


Building  material  piled  on  wood  block  pavement  with- 
out the  protection  required  by  law.     The 
sidewalk  obstructed  with  build- 
ing  material. 


on  the  other  hand,  seize  building  materials,  merchandise,  de- 
serted trucks  and  wagons,  milk  cans,  and  other  things  of  value ; 
in  fact,  the  street  cleaners  rarely  seize  anything  that  is  worth- 
less. As  a  consequence,  the  receipts  of  the  street  cleaning 
bureau  are  far  in  excess  of  the  borough  president's  bureau,  as 
the  following  table  relating  to  Manhattan  will  show : 


1904.  1905. 

Borough      Street  Borough      Street 

Pres.      Cleaning.  Pres.      Cleaning. 

Incumbrance  Redemptions    $769.00    $9,187.30  $710.00    $12,522.55 

Incumbrance   Sales    I35S0         ^TiTi  396.32         1,211.20 


Undoubtedly,  the  greater  activity  of  the  street  cleaning 
bureau  is  due  to  the  fact  that  it  is  better  equipped  to  handle 
the  work  of  detecting  and  removing  incumbrances  than  its 
rival.  Every  street  cleaner  is  more  or  less  of  an  incumbrance 
inspector,  as  he  is  constantly  at  work  on  the  pavements  and. 
can  therefore  report  upon  obstructions  as  soon  as  they  appear. 
Moreover,  the  street  cleaners  have  at  their  command  a  large 
number  of  horses  and  carts,  so  the  removal  of  seized  articles 
is  a  simple  matter. 


The  borough  president's  bureau  has  no  carts  or  horses, 
and  but  six  inspectors,  who  cannot  be  expected  to  compete 
with  the  army  of  street  cleaners.  Every  policeman  should, 
however,  be  an  inspector  for  the  bureau  because  the  incum- 
brances without  permits  are  clear  violations  of  the  law.  The 
incumbrances  detected  by  the  bureau  are  removed  by  a  private 
truckman,  whose  fees  are  based  upon  the  size  of  the  obstruc- 
tion and  the  time  and  labor  consumed  in  its  removal.  No 
contract  is  let  for  the  work,  which  is  usually  done  by  a  truck- 
man named  P.  Corrigan.  A  table  at  the  end  of  this  chapter 
shows  that  the  average  cost  of  removing  incumbrances  and 
loads  of  dirt  and  rubbish  was  greater  in  1905  than  it  was  in  1904. 


It  is  probable  that  the  framers  of  the  charter  intended  that 
the  department  of  street  cleaning  alone  should  attend  to  the 
removal  of  incumbrances,  for  they  devised  legal  procedure  to 
be  followed  by  the  commissioner  in  seizing,  selling,  and  per- 
mitting the  redemption  of  the  seized  property,  the  commis- 
sioner being  allowed  to  fix  the  redemption  fee,  which  must  not 
exceed  $10  for  each  article. 

63 


So  far  as  the  borough  president  is  concerned,  there  is  no 
section  of  the  charter  defining  his  duties  in  relation  to  the 
removal  of  incumbrances,  the  matter  being  dealt  with  in  these 
words :  "He  shall  ....  have  cognizance  and  control  .... 
of  the  removal  of  incumbrances."  Although  freed  from  legal 
restrictions  the  borough  president  cannot  exercise  any  arbi- 
trary power,  because  of  the  small  value  of  the  articles  he  seizes. 
His  redemption  fees  for  incumbrances  depend  upon  the  cost 
of  their  removal  and  the  labor  involved,  the  fees  being  fixed 
by  the  superintendent  of  incumbrances.  Property  seized  by 
this  bureau  is  held  thirty  days  for  redemption,  but  it  is  cus- 
tomary to  have  only  two  sales  a  year  in  order  that  a  good 
showing  of  merchandise  may  be  made. 

The  utility  of  two  such  bureaus  is  questionable,  but  as  long 
as  they  legally  exist  they  should  find  means  to  co-operate 
instead  of  blindly  working  along  independent  lines.  A  simple 
arrangement  between  the  commissioner  of  street  cleaning  and 
the  borough  president  is  all  that  is  necessary  to  render  the 
work  of  the  bureaus  more  effective,  and  it  is  recommended 
that  these  two  officials  confer  on  the  matter. 


Permits  Issued  By  Bureau  Of  Incurnbrances. 

As  the  department  of  street  cleaning  does  not  issue  per- 
mits to  builders,  the  Bureau  of  Incumbrances  spoken  of  here- 
after is  that  of  the  Borough  President.  Three  classes  of  per- 
mits are  issued  by  the  bureau,  as  follows : 

(i)    Building  material  permits. 

(2)  Permits  to  erect  temporary  sheds  over  sidewalks. 

(3)  Permits  to  cross  sidewalks  with  carts. 

No  charge  is  made  to  persons  who  receive  permits  to  place 
building  materials  in  the  street,  but  a  bond  or  certified  check 
must  be  deposited  with  the  commissioner  of  public  works  to 
insure  payment  for  any  damage  to  the  pavement.  One  of  the 
conditions  of  such  permits  is  that  asphalt  pavements  must  be 
properly  covered  with  planking  before  the  materials  are  placed 
thereon.  The  grantee  is  not  allowed  to  occupy  more  than 
one-third  of  the  carriageway  in  front  of  the  premises  named  in 
his  permit,  and  he  is  required  at  all  times  to  keep  the  sidewalk 
free  and  clear  for  pedestrians.  A  building  permit  is  issued 
for  thirty  days  and  can  be  extended  from  time  to  time. 

64 


Pedestrians   protected    from   falling    building   material. 


A  sidewalk  bridge  over  an  excavated  vault. 


The  greater  part  of  the  work  of  the  force  of  incumbrance 
inspectors  concerns  the  holders  of  building  permits.  Builders 
frequently  try  to  annex  more  than  one-third  of  the  street,  and 
many  of  them  are  not  too  careful  about  protecting  asphalt 
pavements.  Under  the  present  system  a  builder  may  store 
tons  of  material  in  a  public  highway  for  months  at  a  time  with- 
out cost  to  himself.  If  his  p.ermit  is  revoked  for  violation  of 
conditions,  he  is  placed  under  some  expense  for  the  removal 
of  his  materials,  and  the  same  is  true  when  he  is  obliged  to 
redeem  seized  articles.  But  as  he  can  lose  no  fee  by  the  revoca- 
tion of  his  permit  and  can  secure  a  renewal  by  promising  to 
observe  the  proper  rules  in  the  future,  he  is  not  impressed  with 
the  desirability  of  being  careful  of  his  privilege.  It  would  seem 
good  policy,  therefore,  to  charge  a  substantial  fee  for  building 
material  permits.  Such  an  arrangement  would  undoubtedly 
have  the  efifect  of  increasing  the  value  of  the  privilege  in  the 
eyes  of  the  person  holding  it.  It  may  be  argued  that  the 
builder's  bond  protects  the  city.  It  does  so  far  as  repairs  to 
darriaged  pavements  are  concerned,  but  it  does  not  contain  a 
penalty^  for  the  use  of  an  excess  street  area,  nor  one  for  block- 
ing the  sidewalk  and  causing  inconvenience  to  the  public. 

A  fee  of  $5  is  charged  for  the  second  class  of  permits,  which 
allows  the  erection  of  temporary  roofs  or  sheds  over  the  side- 
walk in  front  of  buildings  in  course  of  construction.  Such 
permits  remain  in  force  during  the  actual  progress  of  the  work. 
As  temporary  sheds  are  a  protection  to  the  public  as  well  as  a 
convenience  to  the  builder,  there  is  less  reason  for  the  fee  of 
$5  than  there  would  be  for  a  fee  in  connection  with  building 
material  permits,  which  represent  a  valuable  storing  privilege. 

The  third  class  of  permits  issued  by  the  bureau  of  incum- 
brances allow  persons  to  cross  sidewalks  with  horses  and  carts. 
The  holder  of  such  a  permit  is  not  allowed  to  disturb  the  side- 
walk flagging,  but  is  required  to  cover  it  with  planks.  He  is 
also  required  to  file  a  bond  or  deposit  a  certified  check  for  $25 
with  the  commissioner  of  public  works,  to  cover  all  possible 
damage  to  the  sidewalk.  No  fee  is  charged  for  the  privilege, 
although  the  occupancy  of  a  sidewalk  is  undoubtedly  an  incon- 
venience to  the  public. 

It  is  suggested  that  the  right  to  issue  permits  for  the  placing 
of  candy  booths  and  newstands  on  the  sidewalks,  which  now 
forms  a  profitable  source  of  patronage  for  aldermen,  might  be 
delegated  to  the  bureau  of  incumbrances,  which  has  to  remove 
such  property  when  it  is  abandoned  by  the  owners. 

65 


In  the  following  tables  will  be  found  the  numbers  of  permits 
issued  in  1904  and  1905,  the  revenue  derived  from  temporary 
shed  permits,  and  the  total  revenue  of  the  bureaus  of  incum- 
brances as  compared  wdth  the  cost  of  operation. 

1904.  1905. 

No.  No. 

Issued.  Receipts.  Issued.    Receipts. 

Building  material  permits  3.9/8  5,548 

Temporary   shed  permits    541          $2,705  828         $4,140 

Permits  to  cross  sidewalks   769  1,102 


Expenditures. 


1904. 


For    salaries    $15,138.70 

For  removal  of  incumbrances,  etc.,  and  salaries  of 

foremen  and  laborers  10,117.75 


1905. 
$15,814-35 

14,647.41 


Total    $25,256.45        $30,461.76 


Receipts. 


1904. 


From   shed  permits    $2,705.00 

From  redemption  of  seized  articles 769.00 

From  auction  sales  of  unredeemed  articles 135.00 


Total    $3,609.00 


1905. 
$4,140.00 
710.00 
396.32 

$5,246.32 


It  will  be  observed  that  in  each  year  the  regular  salary 
expenditure  of  the  bureau  exceeds  the  amount  utilized  in 
removing  obstructions,  incumbrances,  etc.,  which  also  includes 
the  salaries  of  foremen  and  laborers^  horse  and  wagon  hire  for 
superintendent,  transportation  expenses  of  inspectors,  and  tele- 
phone service. 

The  operations  of  the  bureau,  in  addition  to  the  issuing  of 
permits,  may  be  summarized  as  follows : 


Nature  of  Service 


Number 


1904. 

Cost     Average 
of     cost  of  re- 
re-       moval 
moval.  per  load. 


Complaints  of  obstruc- 
tions receiving  atten- 
tion      2,714 

Seizures  and  removals  of 

obstructions     695     $2,305.-25 

Loads    of  dirt;  stone    and 

rubbish    removed 687      2,101.85 

Fallen  trees,  stumps  and 
posts    removed 195         682.50 

Notices  served  to  repair 
defective  vault  covers.        25 


$3.31- 


3-059 


3-50 


Number 


1905. 

Cost    Average 
of     cost  of  re- 
re-       moval 
moval  per  load. 


3,078 

638  $2,242.50  $3,514 
1,283   3,985-70   3-I06 

163    570.50   3-50 
40 


66 


Thirty-second    Street    and    Pennsylvania    Elevated. 


Showing   steel   structure   across   N.   Y.   Central   tracks. 


THE   INCUMBRANCE   PRINCIPLE   STRETCHED  TO  A 
DANGEROUS  DEGREE. 

An  interesting-  and  dangerous  extension  of  the  power  of 
the  borough  president  to  grant.^ermits  to  encumber  the  public 
highways  in  connection  with  building  operations  is  found  in 
the  case  of  the  'temporary'  tramway  constructed  and  now  in 
use,  in  connection  with  the  building  of  the  Pennsylvania  and 
Long  Island  Railroad  Company's  terminal  and  tunnel.  This 
terminal  and  its  connections  are  built  under  authority  granted 
by  the  Rapid  Transit  Railroad  Commissioners  and  the  Board 
of  Aldermen.  The  terminal  is  to  be  located  between  Seventh 
and  Ninth  Avenues  and  31st  and  33rd  Streets,  32nd  Street 
being  closed  between  these  two  avenues  by  reason  of  its  occu- 
pation by  the  railway  terminal.  The  construction  of  the  ter- 
minal involves  the  removal  of  a  vast  quantity  of  stone  from  the 
excavation.  To  facilitate  this  removal  to  the  river,  where  it 
is  loaded  on  to  barges,  the  borough  president  granted  the 
railway  permission  to  construct  an  elevated  tramway  in  32nd 
Street,  from  9th  Avenue  to  the  North  River,  under  a  permit 
issued  by  the  principal  assistant  engineer  dated  July  29,  1904. 
This  tramway,  except  where  it  traverses  the  New  York  Cen- 
tral Railway  tracks,  is  built  of  wood  beams.  The  span  across 
the  tracks  is  carefully  built  of  steel. 

The  contractors  for  the  terminal  convey  train  loads  of  earth 
and  stone,  usually  large  boulders,  over  this  tramway,  loaded 
on  unstable  dumping  cars.  The  tramway  crosses  10th,  11th 
and  12th  Avenues.  At  these  points  of  intersection  the  road- 
ways have  been  permitted  to  fall  into  wretched  condition.  As- 
a  result  traffic  is  not  only  in  danger  from  the  passing  of  care- 
lessly loaded  cars  overhead,  but  is  impeded  by  a  roadway  filled 
with  ruts  and  holes  beneath,  a  condition  for  which  the  presence 
of  the  tramway  is  largely  responsible. 

The  tramway  occupies  the  center  of  32nd  Street,  and  is  not 
only  a  great  nuisance  to  the  inhabitants  of  the  street,  but 
practically  closes  it  to  traffic.  This  incumbrance  is  tantamount 
to  a  franchise  to  construct  and  operate  an  elevated  railway 
along  a  public  thoroughfare  for  a  length  of  time  limited  only 
by  the  convenience  and  necessity  of  the  grantee,  and  without 
direct  compensation  to  the  public. 


THE  'ABANDONED'  CAR  TRACK  INCUMBRANCES. 

In  Manhattan  ''abandoned'  street  railway  tracks  are  con- 
spicuous and  detrimental  incumbrances  of  the  public  highways. 
In  1903,  the  Merchants  Association  stated  that  these  tracks 

67 


totalled  nearly  20  miles.  This  length  has  scarcely  been  de- 
creased in  the  three  years  since  the  publication  of  that  state- 
ment. The  recent  refusal  of  a  supreme  court  justice  to  perma- 
nently enjoin  the  borough  president  from  tearing  up  the  tracks 
in  Vesey  Street  over  which  the  company  made  no  pretense  of 
running  cars,  resulted  in  their  removal  by  the  bureau  of  high- 
ways. To  what  extent  Mr.  Ahearn  will  proceed  in  this  com- 
mendable work  is  a  matter  of  conjecture.  In  many  cases  the 
companies  do  not  possess  even  the  color  of  right  which  they 
advance  with  respect  to  continuous  lines  of  tracks  no  longer 
used,  but  representing,  as  tangible  evidence,  the  investment  of 
the  capital  of  their  bondholders.  There  are  innumerable  spurs 
and  parts  of  switches,  such  as  are  shown  in  the  photographs, 
which  remain  only  because  the  borough  president  has  failed  to 
take  action  towards  their  removal.  They  are  unsightly  and  a 
menace  to  travel,  while  their  presence  in  the  pavement  hastens 
its  deterioration. 

The  abandoned  tracks  are  lines  over  which  the  railway 
companies  have  ceased  commercially  to  operate  cars.  They 
are  no  longer  profitable  as  routes  of  transportation,  but  repre- 
sent certain  franchise  rights  to  which  the  companies  greedily 
cling.  In  some  instances  the  pretext  of  fulfilling  the  purposes 
of  the  franchise  is  made  by  the  perfvmctory  operation  of  one 
or  two  cars  a  day.  So  flagrant  is  this  practice  of  the  companies, 
which  are  under  such  deep  obligation  to  the  people,  that  it  is 
inconceivable  that  the  public  tolerates  so  gross  an  infringement 
of  its  rights.  The  loss  of  the  good-will  of  the  public,  which  the 
companies  must  sustain  by  their  anti-social  practice  of  incum- 
bering the  streets  with  dead  tracks,  will  many  times  outweigh 
any  picayunish  advantage  which  might  follow  from  their  miserly 
conduct. 

A  most  flagrant  example  of  the  refusal  of  the  railway  com- 
panies to  remove  unneeded  tracks  or  to  live  up  to  the  obliga- 
tions which  the  presence  of  these  tracks  in  the  highways  entail, 
is  the  Amsterdam  Avenue  case.  Here  the  tracks  are  for  horse 
car  use  only  and  are  paralleled  with  a  double  track  electric  line. 
The  horse  car  tracks  were  laid  before  the  electric  car  tracks  and 
are  on  a  higher  grade.  The  consequence  of  this  difference  of 
grade  between  the  two  sets  of  track  is  to  make  one  of  the  most 
important  avenues  in  Manhattan  a  trough  for  most  of  its  length. 

From  the  present  status  of  the  controversy  between  the 
city  and  the  company  over  these  tracks  it  would  seem  that  noth- 
ing stands  in  the  way  of  their  removal  by  the  city  but  insuf- 
ficiency of  back  bone  in  the  borough  president's  office. 

68 


Showing  condition  of  roadway  under  'L'  structure. 


Abandoned  car  track;  34th  Street  and  Broadway,  show- 
ing faintly  through  asphalt  pavement. 


Abandoned  car  tracks,  showing  spurs  and  switches  dis- 
connected from  main  line. 


Abcindoned  car  tracks,  125th  Street  and  Third  Avenue. 


Because  this  case  is  typical  of  the  complexities  of  the  con- 
troversy over  'dead'  tracks,  and  because  its  history  sets  forth 
the  public  spirited  attitude  of  the  railway  companies,  an  account 
of  it  will  be  of  interest. 

HISTORY  OF  THE  AMSTERDAM  AVENUE  TRACK  FIGHT. 

On  June  10,  1902,  Jacob  A.  Cantor,  as  President  of  the  Bor- 
ough of  Manhattan,  ordered  the  Forty-Second  Street,  Manhat- 
tanville  and  St.  Nicholas  Avenue  Railroad  to  remove  the  unused 
or  outside  horse  car  tracks  on  Amsterdam  Avenue,  between 
Broadway  and  Manhattan  Street,  and  on  Manhattan  Street,  be- 
tween Amsterdam  Avenue  and  the  Hudson  River.  The  com- 
pany was  told  that  if  the  work  of  removal  was  not  commenced 
within  thirty  days,  it  would  be  undertaken  by  the  borough  pres- 
ident's department  and  the  cost  thereof  charged  to  the  railroad. 
This  action  on  the  part  of  the  borough  president  was  due  to  the 
fact  that  he  had  received  a  great  many  complaints  with  refer- 
ence to  the  tracks.* 

The  railroad  company  immediately  sought  an  injunction  to 
restrain  the  borough  president  from  carrying  out  his  threat,  and 
the  case  came  to  trial  at  Special  Term  before  Justice  Edward  B. 
Amend,  on  July  17,  1902.  Counsel  for  the  railroad  asserted  that 
the  borough  president  had  no  legal  authority  to  remove  the 
tracks  or  interfere  with  them ;  that  they  were  in  daily  opera- 
tion ;  and  that  the  rights,  privileges  and  franchises  over  the 
streets  had  been  mortgaged  to  secure  issues  of  bonds.  It  was 
further  alleged  that  the  removal  of  the  tracks  would  impair  the 
security  of  the  bondholders  and  diminish  and  impair  the  fran- 
chise granted  to  the  railroad  by  the  Legislature. 

The  answer  of  the  borough  president,  as  defendant,  alleged 
that  the  tracks  had  been  abandoned  by  the  railroad;  that  they 
subserved  no  public  good ;  were  a  constant  menace  to  the  trav- 
elling public,  a  useless  and  dangerous  obstruction  to  the  street ; 
an  unnecessary  interference  with  the  traflfic  thereon,  and  a 
public  nuisance ;  also,  that  the  defendant,  in  discharge  of  his 
duties,  was  required  to  remove  the  tracks  as  obstructions  and  a 
nuisance. 

There  was  little  dispute  as  to  the  material  points  of  the 
evidence.  It  appears  that  the  Forty-second  Street,  Manhat- 
tanville  and  St.  Nicholas  Avenue  Railroad  was  incorporated 
on  December  20,  1877,  and  succeeded  to  a  franchise  granted  by 
chapter  825  of  the  laws  of  1873,  which  gave  to  certain  in- 
dividuals   the    right    to    construct    and    operate    a    railroad    in 

*The  West  End  Association  and  the  Independence  League  Club  were  large- 
ly   responsible    for    the   borough   president's   activity   in   this    matter. 

69 


specified  streets,  including;  Tenth,  now  Amsterdam  Avenue. 
For  several  years  after  its  incorporation  the  company  did  noth- 
ing but  make  an  attempt  to  change  its  route  from  Amster- 
dam Avenue  to  the  Boulevard.  A  resolution  of  the  Board  of 
Aldermen  dated  December  27,  1878,  permitted  the  change 
in  route  and  the  railroad  constructed  tracks  on  the  Boule- 
vard under  this  resolution  in  1886  and  1887. 

As  regards  Amsterdam  Avenue,  nothing  was  done  until 
1891,  when  tracks  for  a  horse  railroad  were  laid.  Prior  to 
the  laying  of  the  tracks  of  the  Forty-second  Street  Company, 
the  Ninth  Avenue  Railroad  Company  had  laid  tracks  in  the 
middle  of  the  avenue.  The  latter  corporation  endeavored  to 
restrain  its  rival  from  laying  tracks,  but  without  success. 

One  of  the  questions  raised  by  the  city  was  that  the  rail- 
road had  abandoned  its  tracks.  The  president  of  the  railroad 
testified  that  in  1898  and  up  to  the  fall  of  1899  thirty-five  cars 
a  day  were  run,  when  the  construction  of  an  underground 
trolley  was  begun.  The  number  was  then  reduced  to  twenty, 
and  these  were  run  until  a  receiver  was  appointed  for  the  com- 
pany in  1900.  The  receiver  ran  one  car  a  day  over  the  road, 
and  the  railroad,  after  it  received  possession  of  lines  in  1901, 
continued  to  run  the  one  car  until  the  beginning  of  the  action. 
The  receipts  on  the  car  were  about  eighty  cents  a  day.  In 
times  of  snowfall  the  car  often  suspended  service  from  two 
to  five  days,  in  succession,  and  during  these  periods  the  snow 
and  ice  were  not  removed  from  the  tracks. 

Evidence  was  also  introduced  by  the  city  to  show  that  the 
tracks  wer^  under  the  level  of  the  street  and  that  the  pave- 
ment was  ofif-grade,  as  well  as  being  in  bad  condition  within  and 
outside  the  tracks. 

After  withholding  his  decision  for  a  long  time.  Justice 
Amend  granted  the  relief  sought  by  the  railroad  as  to  its  tracks 
on  Manhattan  Street,  but  denied  it  and  dismissed  the  com- 
plaint on  the  merits  as  to  the  tracks  on  Amsterdam  Avenue. 
The  justice  held  that  the  railroad  had  practically  abandoned 
its  tracks  on  Amsterdam  Avenue,  and  was  not  entitled  to  the 
protection  of  a  court  of  equity  so  far  as  that  part  of  the  road  was 
concerned. 

The  railroad  appealed  from  the  judgment  as  it  afifected 
Amsterdam  Avenue,  but  the  city  did  not  seek  to  set  aside  the 
injunction  restraining  its  representative  from  tearing  up  the 
tracks  on  Manhattan  Street. 

70 


Showing   the   'trough'   in   Amsterdam   Avenue. 


Abandoned  car  tracks;  Broadway,  south  from   130th  St. 


DECISION   OF  THE  APPELLATE  DIVISION. 

In  April  of  1905^  after  voluminous  briefs  had  been  submitted 
by  both  sides,  the  Appellate  Division  reversed  Justice  Amend's 
decision  and  remanded  the  cause  to  Special  Term  for  a  new 
trial,  in  order  that  the  whole  case  might  be  presented  upon 
proper  and  sufficient  findings  of  fact  and  conclusions  of  law. 

The  Appellate  Division  confined  its  opinion  to  a  considera- 
tion only  of  the  findings  of  the  lower  court,  that  the  railroad 
had  abandoned  the  operation  of  its  railroad  on  Amsterdam 
Avenue.    The  decision  reads  in  part : 

"The  finding  of  the  learned  trial  justice  is  that  the  plaintiff  practically 
abandoned  its  tracks  on  Amsterdam  Avenue.  There  is  no  expressed 
finding  of  actual  abandonment,  but  we  will  assume  that  it  was  the  inten- 
tion of  the  court  to  find  that  there  was  an  actual  abandonment  of  the 
tracks.     .     . 

"It  appears  in  the  record  that  the  plaintiff  undertook  at  one  time  to 
change  its  motive  power  to  a  sub-electric  trolley  system.  It  was  inter- 
rupted in  so  doing  by  the  provisions  of  chapter  371  of  the  laws  of  1899, 
which  provided  that  it  shall  not  be  lawful  to  operate  on  Amsterdam 
Avenue  .  .  .  any  street  surface  railroad  .  .  .  unless  tracks  or  rails 
.  .  .  shall  be  at  all  points  at  least  twenty  feet  distant  from  the  nearest 
curb  line  of  said  avenue.  The  plaintiff  could  not  complete  its  intended 
change  of  motive  power  .  .  .  and  it  ran  one  car  a  day  over  the 
Amsterdam  Avenue  route,  thus  indicating  that  it  was  not  its  intention  to 
abandon  the  use  of  its  tracks. 

"That  act  is  indicative  of  its  purpose  of  maintaining  its  right.  It  was 
not  to  acquire  a  right.  It  was  not  a  pretext  to  evade  conditions  upon 
which  a  franchise  was  granted,  but  to  show  that  it  intended  to  retain 
a  right  which  it  already  possessed.  It  is  said,  however,  that  the  plaintiff 
was  required  by  law  to  run  its  cars  upon  Amsterdam  Avenue  as  often  as 
the  public  convenience  demanded,  but  there  is  nothing  in  this 
record  to  indicate  that  the  public  convenience  was  in  any  way  affected  by 
the  action  of  the  plaintiff.  .  .  .  The  Ninth  Avenue  system  of  electric 
cars  is  operated  on  Amsterdam  Avenue,  and  there  is  nothing  to  show  that 
during  the  period  in  which  the  plaintiff  ran  but  one  car  a  day  on  that 
avenue,  all  the  demands  of  the  public  were  not  fully  met  by  the  service  af- 
forded by  the  Nmth  Avenue  road. 

"We  think  that  the  proof  was  inadequate  to  show  an  abandonment 
by  the  plaintiff  of  its  tracks.  The  effect  of  denying  it  relief  is  to  deprive 
it  of  the  benefit  of  its  franchise ;  and  very  much  stronger  evidence  should 
be   required   to   effect   that   object  than  that  which   now   appears   before 


Whatever  right  the  city  may  have  to  abate  a  nuisance,  must 
be  left  for  future  consideration,  said  the  justices,  because  the 
matter  was  not  passed  upon  by  the  court  below.    For  the  same 

71 


reason  they  did  not  consider  it  necessary  to  pass  upon  the 
subject  of  the  actual  condition  of  the  tracks  on  Amsterdam 
Avenue  as  constituting  a  nuisance,  which  the  railroad  might 
be  compelled  to  remove,  or  in  default  of  so  doing,  the  city 
might  remove  under  power  conferred  by  law. 

The  city  introduced  evidence  to  show  that  the  railroad  neg- 
lected to  repair  the  Amsterdam  Avenue  tracks  and  make  them 
conform  to  the  established  grade,  and  that  a  nuisance  was 
thereby  created  which  tlie  city  had  a  right  to  remove.  The 
court  did  not  question  such  right  in  a  proper  case,  but  in  this 
action  there  was  a  controverted  question  with  respect  to  the 
establishment  of  the  grade.  Moreover,  the  court  held  that  the 
action  of  the  borough  president  was  not  taken  upon  the  theory 
of  the  existence  of  the  nuisance,  and  that  no  demand  was  made 
upon  the  plaintiff  to  repair  the  street,  or  restore  it  to  grade. 

It  will  be  seen  that  matters  are  in  statu  quo.  The  case  has 
not  come  to  trial  a  second  time;  the  city  is  not  restrained  from 
tearing  up  the  tracks ;  and  it  might  easily  do  so  without  incur- 
ring any  legal  liability. 

THE  PAVEMENT  IN  THE  RAILROAD  AREA. 

Section  98  of  the  General  Railroad  Law  provides  that  the 
street  railway  companies  pave  and  keep  in  repair  the  pavement 
between  their  tracks,  the  rails  of  their  tracks  and  two  feet  in 
width  outside  their  tracks  (the  railroad  area),  tmder  the  super- 
vision of  the  proper  local  authorities  (the  borough  presidents 
in  New  York  City)  and  whenever  required  by  them  to  do  so 
and  in  such  manner  as  they  prescribe.  This  section  was  origi- 
nally incorporated  in  the  Street  Railway  Law  in  1884  and  sub- 
sequently enacted  as  a  section  of  the  General  Railroad  Law. 

Many  of  the  street  railways  with  tracks  in  Manhattan  streets 
received  their  franchises  prior  to  the  passage  of  this  provision. 
The  courts  have  not  yet  decided  the  question  as  to  whether  the 
law  is  retroactive,  and,  therefore,  applicable  to  these  companies. 
It  is  a  fact,  however,  that  the  franchises  of  most  of  the  compa- 
nies under  whose  authority  street  railways  are  operated  in  Man- 
hattan, contained  provisions  binding  the  railways  to  pave  and 
keep  in  repair  the  portion  of  the  streets  occupied  by  their  tracks. 
A  few  of  the  companies  are  expressly  freed  from  this  obliga- 
tion by  the  terms  of  their  franchises.  The  facts  respecting  the 
provision  regarding  the  paving  obligation  of  the  various  com- 
panies, and  a  full  and  complete  discussion  of  the  question  re- 
lating to  the  pavement  in  the  railway  area,  are  contained  in  a 
pamphlet  recently  published  by  the  Bureau  of  City  Betterment.* 

♦"The  City  of  New  York,  The  Street  Railroad  Companies  and  a  Million  and 
a  Half  Dollars." 

72 


The   archaic   type   of   rail   shown  in   the  photograph  is 

the  T  rail  used  in  horse  car  lines.     These  rails  still 

abound  in  Manhattan  streets;  their  presence  in 

the  pavement  hastens  its  deterioration.     An 

effort  was  made  to  minimize  the  injury 

caused  by  this  rail  in  this  instance 

by    flanking    it    with    'tooth 

stones.' 


The   same   street   farther   north  showing  the  improved 

grooved  rail  used  on   electric  lines.     This 

rail  is  very  much  less  injurious 

to  the   pavements. 


When  the  borough  president  decides  to  repave  a  street  in 
which  car  tracks  are  laid  he  gives  notice  to  the  railway  com- 
pany and  requests  a  statement  of  its  preference  respecting 
the  kind  of  pavement  to  be  laid  in  the  railroad  area.  The  com- 
pany usually  replies  that  the  pavement  already  laid  is  satis- 
factory and  requires  no  change.  If  a  preference  is  indicated  it 
is  usually  for  stone  block  pavement,  because  this  pavement  is 
the  most  durable,  can  be  kept  in  repair  by  the  employes  of 
the  company,  and  permits  access  to  the  sub-surface  parts  of 
the  tracks  without  involving  the  disruption  of  a  pavement 
costly  to  replace.  Proof  of  the  preference  for  stone  block  pave- 
ment on  the  part  of  the  railway  companies  requires  only  the 
most  casual  inspection  of  the  area  throughout  the  borough. 
An  investigation  made  by  the  Bureau  of  City  Betterment  re- 
vealed the  fact  that  in  70  per  cent  of  the  city  blocks  through 
which  railway  lines  run,  the  railroad  area  is  paved  with  stone 
block.  It  is  obvious  that  the  convenience  of  the  companies  has 
been  permitted  to  outweigh  the  comfort  of  the  public,  in  this 
matter  of  the  pavement  of  the  railroad  area.  The  clatter  of 
vehicles  crossing  the  stone  paved  railway  area  in  an  asphalted 
street,  offsets  completely  the  comfort  usually  derived  from  a 
noiseless  pavement. 

Whenever  a  pavement  is  renewed  in  a  street  containing 
tracks  the  railway  companies  find  some  pretext  for  evading 
their  obligation  to  pay  their  share  of  the  cost.  Suits  for  some 
$720,000  are  now  pending,  for  bills  rendered  by  the  city  to  the 
companies  for  pavement  laid  in  the  railway  area  and  paid  for 
by  the  public.  Because  of  the  present  supineness  of  the  city 
in  its  failure  to  press  the  claims,  the  companies  apparently  feel 
secure  in  their  refusal  to  accept  the  obligation  placed  upon  them 
by  the  Railroad  Law,  and  in  many  cases,  by  explicit  conditions 
of  their  franchises.  The  list  of  outstanding  bills  for  payment 
owing  to  the  city  by  the  various  railway  companies  is  illumina- 
tive of  the  attitude  taken  by  these  favored  corporations  to  the 
public,  their  constant  benefactors.  It  will  be  seen  that  some  of 
this  indebtedness  dates  back  to  1889. 


73 


Net  Indebtedness  Of  The  Different  Railroad  Companies  To  The 

City  Of  New  York,  For  Repaying  Within,  Between  And  Two 

Feet  Outside  Of  The  Tracks  From  1899,  When  The 

First  Bills  Were  Rendered,  To  June  4,  1906 : 

Eighth  Avenue  Railroad  Company  $39,161.04 

Twenty-eighth  and  Twenty-ninth   Street  Railroad  Co 23,718.95 

New  York  and  Harlem  Railroad   Co 190,804.17 

Forty-second  Street,  Manhattanville  and  St.  Nicholas  Avenue 

Railroad  Co 105,777.85 

Ninth  Avenue  Railroad  Co 34,386.69 

Second  Avenue  Railroad    Co 87;683.i2 

Bleecker  Street  and  Fulton  Ferry  R.  R.  Co 47,394.72 

Broadway  and  Seventh  Avenue  Railroad  Co ,  162,445.23 

Metropolitr.n   Crosstown    Railroad    Co 25,804.37 

North  and  East  River  Railroad  Co 5,362.60 

Avenue    C  Railroad   Co. 28,921.38 

New  York  Central  and  Hudson  River  Railroad  Co 2,027.26 

Union  Railway   Co 19,706.92 

Thirty-fourth  Street  Crosstown  Railroad  Co 6,300.50 

Twenty-third  Street  Railroad  Co 19,730.95 

Forty-second  Street  and  Grand  Street  Ferry  Railroad  Co. .  . .  61,997.14 

Sixth  Avenue  Railroad  Co 59,478.72 

Christopher  and  West  Tenth  Streets  Railroad  Co 36,867.71 

Metropolitan  Street  Railway  Co 221,713.35 

Central    Crosstown    Railroad   Co 14,548.46 

Third  Avenue  Railroad  Co 15,985.84 

Central  Park  and  North  and  East  River  Railroad  Co 64,648.52 

Chambers  Street  and  Grand  .Street  Ferry  Railroad  Co 17,770.38 

Dry  Dock  and  East  Broadway  and  Battery  Railroad  Co 111,135.42 

Houston,  West  Street  and  Pavonia  Ferry  Railroad  Co 36,282.73 

Broadway  Railroad  Co 8,297.40 

Lexington  Avenue  Railroad  Co 5,398.10 

One  Hundred  and  Sixteenth  Street  Railroad  Co 4,462.60 

One  Plundred   and  Sixteenth   Street  and  Lenox  Avenue   R. 

R.  Co 6,532.22 

Fourth  Avenue  Railroad  Co 2,314.19 

One   Hundred  and  Twenty-fifth   Street  Crosstown   Railroad 

Co 1,575.39 

Sixth  and  Eighth  Avenue  Railroad  Co 94-39 

Tenth  Avenue  Railroad  Co I99-4I 

Fulton  Street  Crosstov.'n  Railroad  Co 626.38 

Avenue  A  Railroad  Co 1,314.06 

Seventh  Avenue   Railroad   Co 42,061.01 

Total    $1,512,529.19 

In  order  to  ascertain  the  condition  of  the  railroad  area, 
a  careful  and  laborious  examination  was  made  by  the  Bureau 
of  City  Betterment,  in  June,  1906,  of  the  pavement  between 
the  rails  and  tracks  of  all  the  lines  in  Manhattan.  The  results 
of  this  examination,  detailed  below,  were  instructive. 

A  total  of  36  lines  were  covered,  including  2,252  city  blocks 
and  500  crossings  or  intersections  of  lines.     Of  the  total  num- 

74 


ber  of  blocks,  1,576,  or  about  70  per  cent,  were  found  to  be 
paved  with  stone  pavement.  Thirteen  per  cent  of  the  blocks 
were  found  to  be  in  good  condition,  i.  e.,  entirely  free  from  ruts, 
holes  and  depressions ;  33  per  cent  were  found  in  fair  condi- 
tion, i.  e.,  a  group  including  blocks  where  depressions  were  in- 
frequent and  ruts  and  holes  not  serious  enough  to  render  travel 
difficult ;  and  55  per  cent  in  bad  condition,  a  state  indicating 
neglect  of  the  pavement,  where  holes,  ruts  and  depressions  pre- 
dominated. On  a  conservative  basis,  therefore,  the  investiga- 
tion revealed  the  fact  that  the  pavement  in  the  railway  area  in 
more  than  one-half  of  the  blocks  in  which  tracks  are  laid  is  not 
kept  in  repair  by  the  street  railway  companies,  contrary  to  their 
explicit  obligations. 

It  is  obvious  that  the  city  is  in  no  position  to  longer  tempor- 
ize with  the  defavilting  companies.  Immediate  and  vigorous 
action  by  the  Corporation  Counsel  must  be  begun  in  order  that 
the  city  may  determine  by  judicial  process  whether  it  is  without 
relief  from  the  continued  refusal  of  the  companies  to  discharge 
their  obligations. 

Condition  Of  Railroad  Area, 

Inspected  June,  1906. 

No.  No. 

Route  of  of  Blocks.        of  Crossings. 

Railroad  Line.  Good  Fair  Bad  Good  Fair  Bad 

Spring  St. — Desbrosses  to  Grand  St.  Ferry. .    .10  34  2       23 

Chambers  St.  Ferry  to  Roosevelt  Street 
Ferry 8  2 

Duane,  Chambers  and  Madison  St.  Line. . .       8        6      28  23 

Prince,  Houston,  Avenue  A  and  Ave.  C  Line  6      74  43 

Eighth     St.     Line — Greenpoint      Ferry      to 

Christopher   St.   Ferry 8       15       20  5       22 

East  Side  Belt  Line — South  Ferry  to  125th 

Street  7      46     i55  3      24 

Third    Avenue    Line — Post    Office    to    130th 

Street     13      Qi       5°  2      6        8 

Third  Avenue  Line — 162nd  Street  and  Am- 
sterdam Avenue  to  221st  St.  and  Broad- 
way   42        8  I 

East   iioth   Street  Line,  via   St.   Nicholas 

Ave.,  etc.,  to  West  130th  St.  Ferry .  il       16  26 

Lexington   Avenue  Line,   from  23rd   St.   to 

133rd   Street    13      46      54  3 

Twenty-third  St.  Line,  from  North  to  East 

River 3       I7  3        7 

West  Side  Belt  Line,  from  South  Ferry  to 

7ict  Street   12       16      83  3       i       10 

Ninth  Avenue  Line — Sgth    St.    to    Cortlandt 

Street  8      57      65  13       19 

Fourteenth  Street — North  River  to  Ave- 
nue D .    3        9        4  4        9 

Sixth  and  Amsterdam  Avenue  Line — South 
Ferry  to  Manhattan  St 9      33      80  3       16 

75 


No.  No. 

Route  of  of  Blocks.  of  Crossings. 

Railroad  Line.  Good  Fair  Bad  Good  Fair  Bad 

Grand  Street  Line— East  to  North  River...  15      28  11       16 

East  and  West  42nd  Street  Line 5       12  i       10 

East    ii6th    Street    and    West    io6th    Street 

Line i        8  4        i 

West  145th  Street  Crosstown  Line 6  21 

28th  and  29th  Street  Crosstown  Line 7      24  i       6       13 

59th   Street  Crosstown  Line 12  4        b 

Second  Avenue  Line — 129th  St.  to  Brooklyn 

Bridge    34      36      79  i     10        8 

Fourth      Avenue      Line — .A.stor      Place      to 

137th    St 40      52      49  4       I       10 

Eighth     Ave.     Line — 59th     St.     to     Battery 

Place    27      67     114  2      26 

Canal  St.  Line — Grand  St.  Ferry  to  North 

Moore  and  Washington   Streets    3      36  2       19 

Chatham  Sq.  &  East  Broadway  Lnie  to  E. 

34th  Street  Ferry   8  33  10 

West  86th  Street  Line — Amsterdam  Ave.  to 

Riverside    Drive     2         i  I 

East  and  West  125th  St.  Crosstown  Line...      9       10  72 

Broadway,    Columjjus    Ave.    &   Lenox   Ave. 

Line — South  Ferry  to  148th  Street 22.     104      61  i       3       18 

Amsterdam  Ave.  Branch  of  Third  Avenue 

Line    66 

Seventh   Avenue  Line 14      26  3        9 

Desbrosses     Street     Ferry     to     3rd     Street 

and  6th  Ave 4        8  4 

17th  and  i8th  St.  Crosstown ,      i        3       I5  12 

Fulton   Street    Crosstown i       11-        i  4 

East  and  West  34th  Street 5        9  Z        7 

Eighty-sixth    St.    Line ,  7        7  31 

Total    304    7i7i>23i        i5    92    393 

13%  32%  55%      3%  18%  79% 

Total   number   of  blocks 2,752 

Total  number  of  crossings 500 

Of  the  total  number  of  blocks  of  the  railroad  area  1,576,  or 
about  70  per  cent,  are  paved  with  stone,  while  178  blocks,  or 
about  7  per  cent,  are  paved  with  a  combination  of  stone  and 
asphalt  or  other  material,  the  remainder,  23  per  cent,  being 
paved  exclusively  with  material  other  than  stone  block. 

After  the  investigation  of  the  railroad  area  was  completed, 
detailed  reports  were  submitted  by  the  Bureau  of  City  Better- 
ment to  the  chief  engineer  of  the  bureau  of  highways,  with  the 
suggestion  that  orders  be  issued  to  the  railroad  companies  to 
repair  immediately  all  blocks  found  to  be  in  bad  condition. 

The  reports  were  examined  by  the  chief  engineer's  assist- 
ants and  found  to  be  of  great  value  as  the  bureau  of  highway.s 
was  without  a  comprehensive  record  of  this  description.    There- 

76 


upon,  a  number  of  orders  to  repair  defective  pavements  in  vari- 
ous parts  of  the  borough  were  issued  to  the  railroad  companies, 
and  as  a  result,  applications  for  permission  to  take  up  and  relay 
pavements  in  the  railroad  area  are  being  received  day  by  day 
at  the  bureau  of  highways. 


Summary  Of  Corporations  Liable  For  Repairs  And  Repaving. 

By  Resolution  of  the  Common  Council. 

Name  of  Railroad.  Number  of  Miles 

New  York  and  Harlem  Railroad  (City  Line) 9-878 

Second  Avenue  Railroad  13-693 

Third  Avenue   Railroad   13-^90 

5ixth  .A.venue  Railroad 5-58S 

Eighth   Avenue    Railroad    9-445 

Mileage  owned    jointly  by     Sixth    and     Eighth     Avenue 

Railroads    J. 16 

Broadway  Railroad    2.463 

Bleecker  Street  and  Fulton  Ferry  Railroad 4-741 

Ninth    Avenue    Railroad    8.658 

Forty-second    Street.    Manhattanville    and     St.     Nicholas 

Avenue  Railroad  12.247 

Broadway  and  Seventh  Avenue  Railroad   8.270 

New  York  Central  and  Hudson  River  Railroad  (Mileage 
in  Manhattan  not  given  in  report  of  Railroad  Com- 
missioners.) 

By  Special  Act  of  Legislature. 

Christopher  and  Tenth    Street  Railroad 1-999 

Harlem.  Bridge,  Moirisania  and  Fordham  Railroad  (Mile- 
age included  in  Union  Railway  Co.) 
3y  chapter  252  of  the  laws  of  1884  or  chapter  565  of  the  laws  of  i8go. 

Columbus   and   Ninth   Avenue   Railroad    2.567 

Chambers  and  Grand  Street  Ferry  Railroad 2.357 

Thirty-fourth    Street  Railroad    .476 

North  and  Blast  River  Railroad   394 

Twenty-eighth  and  Twenty-ninth  Street  Railroad 2.836 

Extensions  of  Houston  Street,  West  Street  and  Pavonia 

Ferry  Railroad  authorized  in   1892 4-831 

Lexington  Avenue  and  Pavonia  Ferry  Railroad 6.164 

Metropolitan    Crosstown    Railroad    3-897 

Metropolitan   Street  Railway  Company 23.861 

Corporations  not  made  liable  for  repairs  and  repaving  by  their  fran- 
•chises : 

Central  Park  and  North  and  Fast  River  Railroad 9-559 

Dry  Dock,  East  Broadway  and  Battery  Railroad 8.504 

Forty-second  Street  and  Grand  Street  Ferry  Railroad 3-564 

Central   Crosstown    Railroad    1.810 

Twentv-third    Street    Railroad    1-930 

One  Hundred  and  Twenty-fifth  Street  Railroad   (Mileage 

included  in  Third  Avenue  System.) 
Union  Railway  Company  (  Required  to  make  repairs  by  its 
franchise,  but   not  required   to   repave).    (Principally 

in   The   Bronx) 40.267 

.77 


It  will  have  been  noted  that  twenty-two  railroads  are  obliged 
to  repair  and  repave  the  area  occupied  by  their  tracks,  either  by 
reason  of  resolution  of  the  Common  Council,  special  act  of  the 
Legislature,  or  chapter  252  of  the  laws  of  1884,  or  chapter  56S 
of  the  laws  of  1890.  Six  railroads  are  exempted  from  obligation 
to  pave  and  repair  by  the  terms  of  their  franchises,  while  one, 
the  Union  Railway  Company,  whose  lines  lie  chiefly  in  the  Bor- 
ough of  The  Bronx,  is  partially  exempted.  The  Court  of  Ap- 
peals has  yet  to  decide  whether  chapter  555  of  the  laws  of  1890 
(Railroad  Law),  which  contains  the  paving  clause  originally  en- 
acted in  chapter  252  of  the  laws  of  1884,  is  retroactive;  in 
other  words,  whether  it  covers  the  cases  of  companies  which 
were  organized  prior  to  its  passage  and  whose  franchises  con- 
tain no  paving  clause. 


STREET  SIGNS. 

Manhattan  has  not  yet  succeeded  in-  indicating  the  names 
of  streets  to  pedestrians  and  drivers  in  a  scientific  and  uniform 
manner.  Throughout  most  of  the  island  one  has  to  scan  gas 
lamps,  house  walls  and  electric  light  poles  to  find  his  location. 
President  Ahearn  has  followed  the  example  set  by  his 
predecessors  in  making  experiments  in  signing  the  streets.  The 
result  is  that  in  the  Borough  of  Manhattan  there  are  eight  or 
more  types  of  signs  in  use,  suspended  from  almost  as  many  un- 
expected places. 

The  Borough  of  Manhattan  has  been  frequently  held  up  to 
ridicule  as  a  place  of  bewilderment  for  strangers  by  reason  of 
the  absence  of  street  signs.  The  vigorous  protests  of  citizens 
and  the  insistence  of  certain  powerful  commercial  interests, 
represented  by  the  telegraph  and  express  companies  and  the 
department  stores,  whose  delivery  service  is  greatly  embar- 
rassed by  the  absence  of  street  signs,  have  resulted  in  some  re- 
cent activity  in  the  placing  of  signs. 

The  first  essential  in  street  signs  is  legibility,  both  by  day  and 
by  night.  They  should  also  be  attractive  in  form,  and  be  built 
of  durable  material. 

It  is  extremely  doubtful  whether  all  the  foregoing  require- 
ments are  filled  by  any  one  of  the  different  types  of  signs  now 
to  be  found  in  Manhattan.  The  earliest  of  the  modern  sisfns 
were  placed  during  the  administration  of  President  Cantor  in 
1903.    There  were  five  varieties.    The  first  was  the  blue  enameJ 

78 


A  cheap  sign  set  on  'dead'  gas 
lamp  posts. 


Street  sign.     No.  i. 


The  criss-cross  sign  erected  by 
President    Ahearn.      No.    3. 


plate  attached  to  buildings.  Each  plate  cost  98  cents,  with  a 
maintenance  guarantee  of  three  years  by  the  contractor.  Many 
of  these  signs  are  now  missing  from  the  walls  to  which  they 
were  originally  attached,  while  a  number  of  those  that  remain 
bear  evidence  of  deterioration. 

Another  type  of  sign  erected  by  President  Cantor  is  known 
as  the  'bird  cage' — a  triangular  box  costing  $16.98,  with  a  main- 
tenance guarantee  of  one  year.  The  most  remarkable  feature 
af  this  sign,  when  erected,  was  the  fact  that  it  was  attached  to 
'dead'  or  unused  lamp  posts.  Of  course  it  was  then  necessary 
to  furnish  an  illuminant  for  the  boxes  at  night,  and  the  gas 
companies  were  called  upon  to  do  this.  The  Consolidated  Gas 
Company  charged  $17.50  per  year  per  lamp ;  the  Standard  Gas 
Light  Company,  $13.04  1-3,  and  the  New  Amsterdam  Company, 
$12.  The  prices  of  the  two  latter  companies  were  limited  by 
their  charters. 

A  third  sign  was  erected  by  the  New  York  Edison  Company 
on  its  own  poles.  It  cost  $12.50  and  the  company  agreed  to 
maintain  and  illuminate  each  sign  box  for  one  year.  After  that 
the  company  got  $12.50  a  year  for  lighting  each  sign. 

The  Borough  President  states  that  there  are  1^350  'bird 
cages'  and  144  Edison  signs  in  the  borough.  They  are  no 
longer  illuminated,  however,  for  the  Board  of  Estimate  and  Ap- 
portionment at  its  meeting  on  March  16,  1905,  requested  the 
com.missioner  of  water  supply,  gas  and  electricity  to  discontinue 
the  service  for  all  gas  and  electric  lights  inside  of  street  signs, 
except  for  fire  alarms.  The  wisdom  of  purchasing  these  two  types 
can  fairly  be  doubted.  They  were  never  readily  legible  at  night, 
for  they  contained  metal  or  enamel  name  plates,  through  which 
the  light  within  could  not  penetrate,  instead  of  stencils  backed 
with  glass,  which  would  have  rendered  them  serviceable.  Their 
cost  of  operation  was  out  of  proportion  to  the  illumination 
given  by  them,  which  varied  from  twenty  to  twenty-five  candle 
power,  the  gas  burning  with  an  open  flame ;  and  as  a  whole  the 
signs  were  a  greater  source  of  profit  to  the  gas  companies  than 
a  benefit  to  the  community. 

The  two  other  types  erected  during  President  Cantor's  ad- 
ministration were  as  follows : 

Square  boxes  with  glass  signs  backed  by  reflectors,  attached 
to  Welsbach  lights,  $12.50  each. 

79 


Triang-ular  boxes  with  glass  signs  backed  by  reflectors, 
erected  on  electric  light  poles,  $18  each;  to  be  seen  on  Fifth 
and  Madison  Avenues. 

Since  President  Ahearn  took  office  these  reflector  signs,  as 
they  are  called,  have  undergone  alterations.  The  glass  plates 
have  been  replaced  by  stencils  with  opal  glass  backing,  while  in 
some  instances  the  reflectors  have  been  removed  from  frames 
attached  to  Welsbach  lights. 

The  signs  now  being  placed  by  President  Ahearn  are  much 
cheaper  than  the  reflector  signs  and  do  not  contain  the  weight 
or  quality  of  metal  to  be  found  in  the  latter. 

The  Ahearn  signs  are  of  three  types : 

(1)  Square  cast-iron  frames  with  zinc  stencils  and  opal  glass 
backing,  attached  to  Welsbach  lights ;  cost  $4.75  each,  including 
erection  and  maintenance  for  three  years. 

(2)  Square  cast-iron  frames  with  zinc  stencils  and  opal  glass 
backing  on  two  sides,  and  blue  enamel  signs  with  solid  white 
letters  on  the  other  two  sides,  attached  to  electric  light  poles ; 
cost  $6  per  sign,  including  erection  and  maintenance  for  three 
years. 

(3)  Criss-cross  signs,  composed  of  four  rectangular  cast- 
iron  frames.  In  each  frame  there  are  two  blue  enamel  plates, 
placed  back  to  back,  bearing  the  name  of  the  street  in  solid 
white  letters.  The  frames  containing  the  signs  for  the  inter- 
secting streets  are  placed  one  above  the  other,  at  right  angles, 
on  disused  gas  lamp  posts.  They  are  not  illuminated  and  cost 
$6  each. 

In  1905  and  in  1906  up  to  June  29,  1,780  signs  of  the  first 
type,  1,002  of  the  second,  and  491  of  the  third  were  erected. 
Only  a  few  signs  were  erected  in  1904  to  replace  others  that 
had  been  destroyed.  The  appropriation  for  the  maintenance 
of  signs  in  1904  and  1905  amounted  in  each  instance  to  $3,000. 
In  1904  nothing  was  appropriated  in  bond  issues  for  the  pur- 
chase and  erection  of  signs,  but  in  1905  there  was  a  bond  issue 
of  $30,000  on  this  account.  This  money  is  now  being  utlilized. 
The  latest  contract  was  let  on  April  19,  1906,  the  estimated 
cost  being  $27,367.  The  contractor  is  Joseph  N.  Early,  who 
furnished  'bird  cage'  signs  to  President  Cantor. 

8o 


^ 

I 

Street  sign;  type  No.  5 


The    'bird     cage'     sign.       For 

illuminating  these  signs  the 

gas     companies     formerly 

received  from  $12  to  $17 

each  per   annum 


Type  No.  2  of  Manhattan  street 

signs. 
Erected  by  President  Ahearn. 


Another  bird  cage  specimen. 


A  perverted  use  of  the  street  sig^. 


Whether  the  Early  signs  will  prove  a  success,  so  far  as 
wearing  is  concerned.,  remains  to  be  seen.  The  frames  are 
made  of  cast  iron  and  for  this  reason  the  collars  by  which 
they  are  attached  to  the  posts  are  likely  to  break,  especially 
if  a  post  is  struck  heavily  by  wagon,  which  frequently  hap- 
pens. It  is  a  question,  too,  whether  the  zinc  stencils  will  not 
be  speedily  attacked  by  rust,  and  the  suggestion  has  been  made 
that  stencils  of  copper,  bronze,  or  some  other  material,  un- 
afifected  by  the  weather,  be  substituted  for  the  zinc  plates. 
Another  criticism  directed  against  the  Early  signs  relates  to 
the  type  attached  to  electric  light  poles.  These  sign  boxes  have 
two  enamel  and  two  stencil  name  plates,  and  while  the  stencils 
are  legible  at  night  the  letters  on  the  enamel  plates  are  indis- 
tinct. This  is  a  serious  fault  and  might  be  remedied  by  using 
four  stencils  instead  of  two.  It  is  obvious  that  the  case  of  illu- 
minated sign  stencils  display  the  lettering  to  better  advantage 
than  do  solid  enamel  plates,  while  the  latter  are  more  serviceable 
when  attached  to  signs  that  are  not  illuminated. 


VAULTS  UNDER  SIDEWALKS. 

The  city  owns  the  streets  from  lot  line  to  lot  line.  It  owns 
not  only  the  roadway  from  curb  to  curb,  but  the  sidewalks,  and 
not  only  the  sidewalk  itself  but  the  earth  beneath  it,  in  the  fullest 
legal  sense. 

Accordingly,  the  city  is  liable  for  damages  for  injuries  to 
persons  caused  by  defective  sidewalks  when  the  condition  of 
the  sidewalk  can  be  properly  attributed  to  the  negligence  of 
the  city  authorities.  In  other  words,  the  city  enjoys  the  bur- 
dens of  ownership  in  that  it  is  responsible  for  the  making  and 
keeping  in  repair  of  sidewalks,  and  for  damages  arising  from  its 
neglect  in  that  respect. 

It  is  known  to  what  uses  the  earth  beneath  the  surface  of 
the  roadways  is  put  by  the  city.  It  is  here  that  sewers  and 
pipes  are  laid,  either  by  the  city  itself  or  by  some  franchise 
holding  company.  Apparently,  no  public  use  has  been  dis- 
covered for  that  portion  of  the  highway  which  lies  under  the 
surface  of  the  sidewalks.  This  space  is  almost  everywhere 
used  by  the  abutting  property  owners  for  the  construction  of 
vaults,  on  the  payment  to  the  city  as  rental  for  an  indefinite 
period,  hitherto  practically  forever,  the  sum  of  $2  per 
square  foot. 

8i 


The  sale  of  the  privilege  of  using  this  city  property  for  private 
persons  produced  an  income  to  the  city  of  $2113,265.39  in  1904 
and  $328,044.35  in  1905.  The  grantees  put  this  space  to  divers 
uses,  from  the  storage  of  coal  to  providing  room  for  the  selling 
of  goods  or  restaurant  purposes.  In  this  way  for  a  trifling 
sum  land  owners  can  add  generously  to  the  space  of  their  base- 
ments, and  for  its  use  by  others  derive  a  handsome  profit  over 
what  they  themselves  pay  the  city.  The  city  receives  only  one 
payment ;  the  landholder's  revenue  continues  indefinitely. 

Some  of  the  contracts  between  the  selling  value  of  land 
and  the  receipts  of  the  city  for  vault  space  adjoining  are  strik- 
ingly set  forth  in  the  case  of  two  buildings  now  in  course 
of  construction. 

No.  1  Wall  Street,  at  the  corner  of  Wall  Street  and  Broad- 
way, the  most  valuable  plot  of  building  land  in  America,  re- 
cently sold  for  $750,000.  Its  dimensions  are,  roughly,  the  lot 
being  irregular,  39  feet  by  31  feet.  The  plot  contains  1,225 
square  feet.  For  each  square  foot  $612.24  was  paid.  The  city 
has  granted  to  the  owners  of  this  plot  940.80  square  feet  of  the 
land  under  the  sidewalks  of  the  abutting  streets,  at  a  rental  of 
$2  for  an  indefinite  period,  or  a  total  return  to  the  city  of 
$1,881.60.  The  vault  is  to  be  digged  down  28  feet  6  inches 
below  the  surface  of  the  street,  or  three  stories.  The  building 
itself  is  to  be  217  feet  high  above  the  curb,  or  18  stories,  each 
story  being  12  feet  in  height. 

Another  interesting  example  of  the  petty  returns  received 
by  the  city  for  the  use  of  its  property  for  vault  space,  is  found 
in  the  case  of  a  building  now  nearing  completion  at  118-120 
Fifth  Avenue.  Here  the  entire  lot  measures  only  5,830  square 
feet,  while  the  vault  space  received  from  the  city  measures 
3,608.77  square  feet.  From  the  photographs  of  this  vault  space 
it  will  readily  be  seen  that  it  can  be  used  for  nearly  any  pur- 
pose. Spacious,  and  well-lighted  by  means  of  glass  set  into  the 
sidewalk,  it  will  be  form  a  valuable  adjunct  to  the  building.  For 
its  use  the  owners  of  the  building  will  require  their  tenants 
to  pay  handsomely.  For  this  vault  space  the  city  received,  at  the 
rate  of  $2  per  square  foot,  $7,214.54.  The  average  price  of  the 
land  upon  which  the  building  is  erected  was,  at  a  sale  in  January, 
1905,  $53.17  per  square  foot.  Its  assessed  value  in  1906  was 
$53.69  per  square  foot. 

That  Jhese  grants  to  vault  space  are  revocable  at  will  means 
little.  Only  in  the  most  exceptional  cases,  as,  for  instance, 
the  building  of  a  subway,  does  the  city  attempt  to  regain  pos- 

82 


No.  I  Wall  Street    The  value  of  this  lot  is  $750,000. 


Vault  space.     The  concrete  outer  wall  of  the  vault  is 
shown  under  the  curb  line.     The  damage  to  the 
pavement  was  caused  by  the  excava- 
tion for  the  vault. 


session.  Even  in  these  cases  there  is  likely  to  be  opposition, 
as  was  recently  shown  by  the  objection  of  a  number  of  bankers 
and  merchants  to  a  proposed  subway  route  on  the  ground  that  it 
would  interfere  with  their  vault  space !  It  apparently  becomes 
very  difficult  for  property  owners  to  remember  that  the  land 
which  they  have  immemorially  occupied  does  not  belong  to 
them — that  they  have  no  right  with  respect  to  it  at  all,  but  that 
it  is  the  property  of  the  public. 

It  is  not  improbable  that  the  city  will  find  these  spaces  un- 
der the  sidewalks  valuable  in  working  out  the  problem  of  pipe 
galleries.  They  are  now  being  used  at  several  points,  in  con- 
nection with  the  attempt  to  ventilate  the  underground  rapid 
transit  railway. 

Whether  or  not  there  may  be  a  use  to  which  the  city  could 
put  this  public  land  under  the  sidewalks,  it  is  clear  that  it  should 
derive  a  revenue  from  its  occupation  and  use  by  private  persons 
in  some  way  commensurate  with  the  privilege  enjoyed.  How 
this  can  be  equitably  done  has  already  been  illustrated  in 
Chicago. 

The  Vaults  Under  Sidewalks  in  Chicago. 

In  Chicago  the  authorities  have  awakened  to  the  rights 
of  the  public  in  these  vault  spaces.  There,  a  permit  to  use 
the  land  under  the  sidewalk  is  revocable  but  also  conditioned 
on  the  payment  of  a  rental  in  proportion  to  the  assessed  value 
of  the  abutting  property,  the  terms  of  the  lease  to  be  read- 
justed annually  on  the  basis  of  the  assessed  valuation. 

The  terms  of  the  vault  permits  issued  in  Chicago  are,  briefly, 
as  follows : 

1.  No  permit  may  be  transferred  or  assigned  without  the 
written  consent  of  the  commissioner  of  public  works. 

2.  A  bond  of  $10,000  is  required  from  the  lessee  conditioned 
on  the  lessees  saving  the  city  harmless  for  any  damage  arising 
from  the  use  of  the  vault  space,  or  the  condition  of  the  side- 
walk above  it. 

3.  Rental — When  the  vault  extends  not  more  than  15 
feet  below  the  surface  of  the  street,  the  annual  rental  shall 
be  a  sum  equal  to  four  per  cent  (4%)  of  the  amount  determined 
by  multiplying  the  number  of  square  feet  of  surface  over  the 
space  used  by  a  sum  equal  to  one-tenth*  of  the  land  value 

♦Because  the  vault  space  does  not  extend  above  the  sidewalk  it  is 
equitable  to  estimate  its  value  for  building  purposes  as  being  only  a  fractional 
part  of  the  value  of  the  land  where  the  property  'reaches  the  sky'. 

83 


of  the  average  square  foot  in  the  lot  abutting  on  such  space  as 
fixed  by  the  last  assessment  for  general  taxation  (and  by  other 
prescribed  methods  for  determining  the  value  when  the  land  is 
not  subject  to  general  taxation). 

4.  Whenever  any  of  the  vault  space  extends  to  a  point 
more  than  15  feet  below  the  surface  of  the  street,  there  is  paid 
to  the  city,  as  the  annual  compensation  for  the  use  of  every 
additional  12  feet,  or  fractional  part  thereof,  in  depth,  an  addi- 
tional sum  equal  to  one-half  the  rental  of  the  first  fifteen  feet. 

5.  In  no  case  may  the  annual  rental  be  less  than  $10  per 
annum,  no  matter  how  small  the  space  used  may  be. 

6.  The  permit  is  revocable  at  any  time  for  violation  of  its 
conditions. 

7.  Violations  of  the  conditions  of  the  ordinance  governing 
the  granting  of  the  permits  to  use  sub-sidewalk  vaults,  are  pun- 
ishable by  fines  of  not  less  than  five  nor  more  than  twenty-five 
($25)  dollars. 

8.  The  granting  of  a  privilege  to  occupy  space  under  the 
sidewalk  does  not  preclude  the  city  from  resuming  its  full  rights 
to  the  space  if  it  is  needed  for  public  purposes. 

9.  The  vaults  have  to  be  constructed  according  to  a  method 
prescribed  by  ordinance. 

It  will  have  been  seen  that  in  Chicago  users  of  space  under 
sidewalks  have  to  pay  an  annual  rent  conditioned  upon  the 
assessed  valuation  of  the  abutting  property ;  that  this  rent  in- 
creases with  the  depth  of  the  vault  over  fifteen  feet;  that  the 
city  is  protected  by  bond  from  any  damage  which  may  be 
claimed  from  it  by  reason  of  accident  caused  by  the  condition  of 
the  sidewalk  above  the  vault,  the  presence  therein  of  manholes 
leading  to  the  vault,  coal  openings,  etc. ;  and  that  the  use  of 
vaults  for  private  purposes  can  be  terminated  whenever  the 
space  is  required  by  the  public. 

It  is  interesting  to  apply  the  Chicago  method  to  the  case  of 
No.  1  Wall  Street.  The  present  assessed  valuation  of  that  prop- 
erty is  $610,000  or  $497.96  per  square  foot.  One-tenth  this 
amount  is  $49,796.  This  sum  multiplied  by  the  total  number  of 
square  feet,  or  1,225,  amounts  to  $61,000.10.  Four  per  cent  of 
this  sum  is  $2,440,    This  would  be  the  annual  rent,  for  this  year, 

84 


The  vault  space  at  Nos.  1 18-120  Fifth  Avenue 


The  'roof  of  the  vault  space  at  Nos.  1 18-120  Fifth  Avenue. 


A  sidewalk  in  West  54th  Street. 


The  original  stone  pavement  on  Broadway:    Russ  blocks. 


of  the  first  15  feet  in  depth  of  the  vault  space  at  No.  1  Wall 
Street,  which  is  now  turned  over  to  the  owners  of  that  prop- 
erty for  an  indefinite  period  for  $1,881.60.  But  this  $2,440 
would  not  be  the  total  rent.  The  vault  is  28  feet  deep.  For 
each  12  feet  or  fraction  of  12  feet  in  addition  to  the  first  15  feet, 
the  Chicago  system  requires  the  user  to  pay  one-half  as  much 
again  as  he  pays  for  the  first  15  feet.  In  tne  case  of  No.  1  Wall 
Street,  therefore,  the  rent  would  be  double  the  amount  of  the 
rent  paid  for  the  first  15  feet,  or  $4,880.  As  the  value  of  this 
property  increases,  so  would  this  rental,  payable  annually, 
increase. 

Whether  President  Ahearn  is  conscious  of  the  great  loss  to 
the  city  which  results  from  the  archaic  and  unscientific  method 
of  leasing  vault  spaces  in  his  borough  is  not  known.  It  is 
clear,  however,  that  it  is  incumbent  upon  him,  as  the  conser- 
vator of  the  interests  of  his  borough  and  the  official  in  whom- 
the  power  to  grant  vault  permits  is  vested,  and  as  a  member 
of  the  Board  of  Aldermen^  to  determine  some  method  of  secur- 
ing for  the  city  an  adequate  return  for  the  use  of  its  property 
under  the  sidewalks. 


SIDEWALKS. 

In  many  parts  of  Manhattan  the  sidewalks  are  in  a  defective 
and  obviously  dangerous  condition.  This  statement  is  particu- 
larly true  of  the  bluestone  flagging,  which  chips  and  cracks 
readily  and  is  unfit  for  walks  carrying  a  heavy  and  constant 
stream  of  traf^c. 

Pending  in  the  courts  against  the  city  on  December  31,  1905, 
were  eighty-two  suits  for  personal  injuries  due  to  alleged  de- 
fects in  the  sidewalks  of  Manhattan.  The  sum,  $634,600,  was 
involved  in  the  suits,  which  speak  eloquently  of  the  necessity 
for  thoroughly  overhauling  the  sidewalks  in  the  borough. 

Property  owners  pay  for  the  sidewalk  in  front  of  their  re- 
spective buildings,  but  the  city  has  to  bear  the  brunt  of  such 
lawsuits  as  are  indicated  above,  for  the  reason  that  all  borough 
presidents  are  required  to  see  that  property  owners  keep  their 
sidewalks  in  good  repair. 

When  a  complaint  concerning  a  defective  sidewalk  reaches 
the  Bureau  of  Highways,  through  one  of  its  inspectors  or  from 
a  citizen,  a  notice  to  repair  is  sent  to  the  agent  or  owner  of  the 
premises.^  Some  property  owners  comply  with  the  terms  of 
their  notices,  while  others  do  not.  In  the  case  of  the  latter 
the  matter  is  referred  to  the  local  board  of  the  district  in  which 

85 


the  premises  are  located.  If  the  consent  of  the  local  board  is 
given,  the  repair  work  is  done  by  the  borough  president  and 
the  cost  thereof  assessed  on  the  property.  The  following  table 
shows  the  number  of  notices  served  during  the  last  four  years 
and  the  number  of  permits  issued : 

Year.  Notices  Issued.  Permits  Issued. 

1902  1,880  1,712 

1903  2,918  2,341 

1904  4,541  2,602 

1905  4,785  3,241 

The  permits  issued,  it  may  be  explained,  represent  the  cases 
in  which  the  property  owners  complied  with  the  request  to  re- 
pair, while  the  difference  between  the  number  of  noJ:ices  served 
and  the  number  of  permits  issued  represent  the  cases  referred  to 
the  local  boards  for  action.  No  record  is  kept  in  the  bureau 
of  highways  of  the  square  feet  of  sidewalk  repaired  by  property 
owners,  but  inspections  are  made  for  the  purpose  of  learning 
whether  the  orders  to  repair  have  been  carried  out.  A  record 
is  kept  of  the  repairs  made  under  the  supervision  of  the  borough 
president,  and  assessment  lists  are  prepared  from  time  to  time. 

Speaking  generally,  the  sidewalks  of  Manhattan  are  not  a 
credit  to  the  borough.  In  front  of  most  of  the  modern  buildings 
heavy  granite  or  concrete  walks  have  been  placed,  and  these 
are  a  decided  improvement.  The  antiquated  bluestone  flagging, 
liowever,  still  forms  a  major  portion  of  the  borough's  pathways, 
and  until  this  material  is  superseded,  or  some  organized  sys- 
tem of  repairs  instituted,  the  sidewalks  can  never  be  placed  in 
good  condition. 

A  smooth  and  clear  pathway  for  pedestrians  is  almost  an 
impossibility  in  this  borough,  for  the  reason  that  all  sidewalks 
are  studded  with  iron  manhole  covers  and  gratings,  through 
which  access  to  the  vaults  below  is  gained.  Sometimes  as  many 
as  nine  manholes  and  gratings  are  to  be  found  in  front  of  one 
building.  A  manhole  is  really  an  obstruction,  for  it  usually 
rises  slightly  above  the  level  of  the  flagstone.  Moreover,  in 
winter,  it  is  frequently  a  slippery  and  dangerous  object.  The 
gratings,  too,  are  a  nuisance.  In  some  instances  they  are  vir- 
tually flues  for  the  passage  of  hot  vapour  from  boiler  rooms, 
while  in  others  they  form  outlets  for  elevators  used  for  hoisting 
ashes  and  other  waste  to  the  sidewalk.  In  either  case  they 
restrict  the  pathway.  Few  pedestrians  care  to  walk  over  hot 
flues,  and  when  the  gratings  are  open  for  elevator  service  the 
hole  thus  made  in  the  sidewalk  is  something  to  be  avoided. 
Similarly,  the  well-established  practice  of  removing  manhole 
•covers  at  all  hours  of  the  day  or  night  for  the  purpose  of  dump- 
ing coal  into  vaults  and  cellars,^  is  also  a  sovirce  of  annoyance 
and  danger  to  pedestrians. 

86 


An  example  of  curb  stones  found  in  various  places  in 
Manhattan;  caused  by  the  wheels  of  heavy  traffic. 


Condition  of  sidewalk  and  pavement  after  the  making 
of  a  cut  by  a  corporation. 


EXPENDITURES    OF    THE    BOROUGH    PRESIDENT 
WITHOUT    CONTRACT. 

The  borough  president,  like  the  heads  of  other  city  depart- 
ments, has  the  right  to  purchase  suppUes  and  to  carry  out  pubhc 
improvements  without  pubhc  contract,  if  the  expenditure  in- 
volved in  each  case  does  not  exceed  $1,000.  This  privilege  is  a 
valuable  one  in  all  departments  from  the  patronage  point  of 
view,  and  while  bids  are  not  infrequently  invited  when  supplies 
are  to  be  purchased  in  lots  of  $1,000  and  less,  it  does  not  neces- 
sarily follow  that  the  lowest  bidder  is  successful. 

By  utilizing  his  appropriation  account  and  special  trust  and 
revenue  bond  fund  accounts.  President  Ahearn,  in  1904  and 
1905,  expended  for  supplies,  repairs  and  repaving,  without 
public  co7itract,  for  'incidentals',  cab  and  buggy  hire,  and  pro- 
fessional services  the  vast  sum  of  $1,021,717.50.  This  amount 
is  divided  as  follows  : 

Total  for 
1904.  1905.  two  years. 

Borough  Presideats'  ofifice  (general 

administration)     $12,474.82         $12,536.63         $25,011.45 

Bureau  of  engineer  of  street  open- 
ings           1,582.33  2,392.07  3,97440 

Bureau  of  Highways    130,416.68         222,775.32         353,192.00 

Bureau  of  Incumbrances 7,548.44  11,396.41  18,944.85 

Bureau  of  Sewers   23,669.59  42,799.88  66,469.47 

Bureau  of  Public  Buildings  and  Of- 
fices      212,309.72         232,656.27         444,965.99 

Bureau  of  Buildings 74,290.62  34,868.72         109,159.34 

Grand    Total    $1,021,717.50 


SUPPLIES. 

Supplies  for  the  various  bureaus  under  the  jurisdiction  of 
the  borough  president  are  purchased  by  the  superintendent  of 
the  bureau  of  public  buildings  and  offices,  which,  before  the 
charter  was  revised,  was  a  separate  department  entrusted  with 
the  power  to  purchase  supplies  for  all  city  departments.  Several 
departments  continue  to  call  upon  the  bureau  to  supply  them 
with  various  articles  of  necessity,  such  departments  including 
the  Board  of  Estimate  and  Apportionment,  the  Board  of  Alder- 

87 


men,  the  sheriff's  office,  the  department  of  finance,  and  the 
various  courts.  The  bureau  of  pubhc  buildings  and  offices,  in 
view  of  its  position  as  a  sort  of  general  purchasing  agent,  ad- 
vocates through  its  superintendent  a  return  to  the  old  condi- 
tions, and  during  the  last  session  of  the  Legislature  a  bill  giving 
the  bureau  all  the  advantages  enjoyed  under  the  former  charter 
was  introduced  but  failed  of  passage.  It  will  doubtess  appear 
at  future  sessions. 

Theoretically,  much  might  be  said  in  favor  of  a  single  supply 
bureau  for  all  departments,  as  a  means  of  effecting  economies 
in  the  purchase  of  the  multitude  of  articles  used  by  the  city, 
although  the  activities  of  the  bureau  of  public  buildings  and 
offices  during  the  past  two  years  do  not  offer  an  argument  for 
the  enlargement  of  its  powers.  According  to  the  detailed  state- 
ments of  all  accounts  audited  and  allowed  by  the  department 
of  finance,  as  published  in  supplements  of  the  ''City  Record," 
the  superintendent  of  public  buildings  and  offices  expended 
in  1904  and  1905  the  total  sum  of  $444,965.99  for  the  purchase 
of  supplies  and  for  repair  work,  etc.,  for  the  borough  presi- 
dent's department  and  other  departments,  without  public  con- 
tract.    The  total  may  be  divided  as  follows : 


1904. 

Appropriation  Account   $177,666.95 

Revenue  Bond  Fund  and  Special  Trust  Accounts    34,642.77 


1905. . 

$161,454.66 
71,201.61 

>=$232,6s6.27 

♦These  totals  Include  $9,947.45  expended  in  1904  and  .$6,068.09  in  1905, 
a  total  of  $16,015.54,  for  supplies  purchased  from  the  department  of  correction 
and  the  State  prisons. 


Total    *$2i2,309.72 


The  principal  items  purchased  without  public  contract  and 
the  amounts  expended  are  herewith  given: 


Amount 
in 
Item.  iQC-j. 

Janitor's   supplies, 
hardware        paper, 

etc $:6,074.20 

Furniture,  carpets, 
rugs,  etc.,  and  re- 
pairing   furniture..    10,521.60 

Live    steam    11,021.86 

Disinfectant    3,696.00 

Safes    3>.37475 

Lumber    4,553-69 

Soap,  soap  powder 
and  bleach   1,701.26 


Amount 
No.  of         in 
Bills.         1905. 


Total      Total 

No.  of     Amount  No.  of 

Bills,    for  2  years.  Bills. 


102      $19,980.06       126      $36,054.26      228 


98 

16,465.20 

100 

35,986.80 

198 

28 

9,360.60 

7 

20,382.46 

35 

46 

4424-55 

61 

8,120.55 

107 

14 

4-5^6.12 

12 

7,890.87 

26 

26 

2,921.22 

15 

7,474-91 

41 

3,095-20 


22  4,796.46  42 


30 

1,361.10 

25 

4,093-07 

55 

7 

2,713.01 

17 

4,023.76 

24 

8 

1,074.00 

6 

2,422.00 

14 

17 

1,03.4.60 

31 

1,478.15 

AS 

I 

2,082.50 

6 

3,057-50 

7 

Varnish,     paint     and 

brushes    2,622.98        25          1,679.16        22          4,302.14        47 

Oil  and  boiler  com- 
pound      2,731.97 

Brick,  lime,  etc 1,310.75 

Kindling  wood   1,348.00 

Spring   water      -443-55 

Steel  filing  cases ....  975-00 

Of  the  total  amount  ($36,054.26)  expended  in  the  two  years 
for  janitor's  supplies,  etc.,  $30,312.66  was  paid  to  the  Metro- 
politan Equipment  and  Supply  Company,  in  167  warrants,  the 
rest  being  distributed  among  six  other  firms. 

Furniture,  carpets,  rugs,  etc.,  were  furnished  by  six  con- 
cerns :  John  H.  Little,  $9,548.25 ;  James  R.  Keane  &  Co., 
$6,032.74;  Doherty  &  Co.,  $5,158.15;  Frederick  Goll,  $4,606.55; 
S.  Fink  &  Co.,  $3,997.16;  Thomas  Bowe,  $3,907.03;  W.  A. 
Stromayer,  $445 ;  M.  Hulborn,  $354.25.  The  repairmg  of  fur- 
niture was  done  by  Thomas  Sullivan,  who  received  $1,936.67. 

Live  steam  was  bought  from  the  New  York  Steam  Company, 
which  received  $18,282.40;  from  Nathaniel  W.  Keane,  whose 
bills  amounted  to  $1,300,  and  from  the  Demilt  Dispensary,  to 
which  was  paid  the  sum  of  $800.  The  expenditure  of  $8,120.55 
for  disinfectant  is  unusual,  and  it  is  difficult  to  understand  why 
a  regular  contract  could  not  be  awarded  annually  for  such 
material.  Following  are  the  concerns  which  furnished  the  dis- 
infectant:  M.  Frank  Disinfectant  Co.,  $3,733.80,  fifty-one  bills; 
Antozone  Chemical  Company,  $3,465.45,  forty-three  bills;  Em- 
pire Chemical  Company,  $320,  three  bills ;  Heins  Chemical  Com- 
pany, $247,  four  bills ;  Puritan  Disinfectant  Company,  $215, 
four  bills  ;  West  Disinfecting  Company,  $90.90,  one  bill ;  Ameri- 
can Union  Supply  Company,  $48.40,  one  bill. 

Safes  were  supplied  by  the  Mittnacht  Eagle  Safe  Company, 
which  received  $4,615.87,  and  by  the  Herring-Hall-Marvin  Com- 
pany, whose  bills  amounted  to  $3,275.00,  while  three  firms  fur- 
nished lumber— John  Eagan,  $4,711.43;  East  River  Mill  and 
Lumber  Company,  $2,720.11 ;  Vossneck  Lumber  Company, 
$43.37. 

A  contract  might  properly  have  been  awarded  for  kindling 
wood,  spring  water,  and  soap,  soap  powders,  etc.  It  should 
certainly  not  be  difficult  to  estimate  the  quantity  of  such  ma- 
terials needed  evey  year.  The  kindling  wood  was  purchased 
from  one   man,   Cornelius   Daly,   the   soap   and   soap   powder 


from  four  different  firms,  the  George  Reichard  Soap  Com- 
pany receiving  $4,077.66  in  thirty-three  bills.  Various  com- 
panies furnished  the  water,  which  was  used  by  other  offices  be- 
sides the  borough  president's. 

Varnish,  paints,  brushes,  glass,  etc.,  were  purchased  from 
five  firms,  John  J.  McKenna  receiving  $1,958.76  for  twenty-one 
bills,  and  Peter  McKay  $1,488.83,  paid  in  seventeen  warrants. 
For  lubricating  oil  the  Borne  Scryniser  Company  received 
$2,251.07  in  1904  and  $360.95  in  1905,  the  remainder  being 
divided  among  five  firms.  The  great  bulk  of  the  brick,  lime, 
etc.,  was  obtained  from  one  firm,  John  P.  Kane  &  Co.,  which 
received  $1,310.75  in  1904  and  $2,571.76  in  1905,  a  total  of 
$3,882.51. 

The  General  Fire  Proofing  Company  furnished  steel  filing 
cases  valued  at  $975  in  1904  and  its  bills  in  1905  amounted  to 
$1,607.50.  In  the  latter  year  the  Art  Metal  Construction  Com- 
pany received  $475  for  steel  filing  cases.  It  is  not  clear  from  a 
business  point  of  view,  why  a  regular  contract  was  not  awarded 
for  these  articles. 


REPAIR  WORK. 

A  good  deal  of  repair  work,  etc.,  was  done  under  the  super- 
vision of  the  bureau  of  public  buildings  and  offices,  during  the 
years  1904  and  1905.  The  principal  amounts  expended  without 
public  contract  appear  in  the  accompanying  table : 

Amount  Amount  Total      Total 

in  No.  of  in  No.  of    Amount  No.  of 

Item.  1904.         Bills        1905.         Bills,    for  2  years.  Bills. 

Plumbing    $31,252.22        -Ji      $26,006.85        54      $57,259-07       127 

Carpenter  work   20,841.11        43        20,498.26        2>7        41.339-37        80 

Electrical  work, 

mantles,  etc 15,105.81         56        19,360.41        66        34,556.22       122 

Painting    15,639.81        38        15,176.71        39        30,816.52        yj 

Iron    work,     repairs, 

erecting    sheds,    etc    9,215.08        43  6,353.40        19        15,568.48        (i2 

Repairs  to  sprinklers, 

roofing   work    8,955.30        45  7,134.12        31         16,089.42        76 

Mason  Work 6,906.46        23  7,581.94        25        14,578.40        48 

Awnings,      covering 

pipe,  etc 5,526.17        29  6,341.60        36        11,867.67        65 

Anchoring,       towing, 

and       storage       of 

floating  baths 4,609.25         17  5,312.77         17  9,922.02         34 

Extra  work  on  Allen 

St.   public   bath ....       . .  3,949.60  6  3,949.60  6 

Extra  work  on  public 

baths 1,270.40  3  1,305-96  2  2,576.36  5 

90 


The  foregoing  figures  are  even  more  illuminative  than  those 
relating  to  purchase  of  supplies.  For  plumbing,  Joseph  W. 
O'Brien  received  $37,635.28  in  1904  and  $25,175.11  in  1905,  a 
total  of  $52,810.39,  his  bills  numbering  104.  The  remainder  of 
the  work  was  divided  among  four  men,  of  whom  Joseph  F. 
Sweenev  was  the  most  fortunate.  He  received  $2,087.14  in 
1904  and  $811.74  in  1905. 

Surely  such  extensive  plumbing  work  should  call  for  con- 
tracts, and  the  same  comment  holds  true  in  connection  with 
the  amounts  expended  for  carpenter  and  electrical  work  and 
painting.  Eight  firms  got  a  share  of  the  amount  expended  for 
carpenter  work,  Michael  H.  Lynch  (later  Boyce  &  Lynch)  re- 
ceiving $12,106.91  in  1904  and  $11,441.17  in  1905,  a  total  of 
$23,548.08.  Sexton  and  Odell  got  $5,904.88  in  1904  and  $536.91 
in  1905,  a  total  of  $6,441.79;  Charles  H.  Peckworth 
$2,162.92  in  1904  and  $3,286.95  in  1905,  the  total  being  $5,449.87. 
Mr.  Peckworth  received  $1,865.20  alone  for  work  done  at  the 
City  Hall,  this  amount  being  paid  in  four  warrants. 

The  charter  permits  borough  presidents  and  heads  of  de- 
partments to  exceed  the  one  thousand  dollar  limit  in  purchas- 
ing supplies  and  making  repairs  when  the  board  of  aldermen 
gives  its  approval  by  a  three-fourths  vote.  This  provision  is 
obviously  intended  to  afford  a  means  of  avoiding  the  restric- 
tions of  the  charter,  respecting  the  expenditure  of  sums  over 
one  thousand  dollars,  in  cases  of  emergency.  Several  illustra- 
tions of  the  use  of  this  emergency  clause  will  be  of  interest. 
One  thousand  one  hundred  and  forty-five  dollars  worth  of  car- 
pet was  bought  for  the  General  and  Special  Sessions  court 
rooms  in  July.  1904,  and  the  order  was  given  to  Thomas  Bowe 
and  Co.  Similarly,  a  $1,465  job  was  given  to  John  L.  Cotter 
for  carpenter  work. 

John  F.  Say  ward  received  $1,433.10  for  work  done  without 
contract  in  the  Criminal  Court  Building.  This  bill  was  paid 
in  three  installments,  but  no  authorization  from  the  board  of 
aldermen  to  let  this  work  without  contract  was  found  attached 
to  the  warrants. 

Very  few  actual  violations  of  the  charter  with  respect  to  the 
purchase  of  supplies  without  contract  can  occur,  owing  to  the 
vigilance  of  the  comptroller.  In  the  following  case  the  spirit 
of  the  charter,  at  any  rate,  was  violated,  as  the  work  clearly 
should  have  been  foreseen  and  accomplished  by  means  of  a 
contract. 


91 


The  floating  baths  obviously  were  used  to  distribute  patron- 
age as  well  as  to  afford  recreation  to  boys  and  girls  in  summer. 

In  1905  the  repairs  on  the  baths  were  apparently  chiefly 
made  by  Boyce  &  Lynch,  carpenters.  For  their  work  they  were 
paid  as  follows : 

Aug.      I,  1905,   warrant   10,467     $861.39 

Sept.  18,  1905,         "  12,741     810.00 

Oct.     13,  1905,        "  14.367 765.50 

$2,436.89 

Thus  a  two-thousand  dollar  carpenter  job  was  handled  with- 
out public  contract  by  the  simple  device  of  making  the  pay- 
ments in  three  installments  (all  charged  to  the  same  account) 
in  sums  safely  under  the  $1,000  limit. 

The  baths  also  afforded  a  $3G2.69  plumbing  job  to  Edward 
O'Brien  at  the  same  time. 

An  interesting  fact  in  connection  with  the  expenditure  for 
painting  without  public  contract  relates  to  the  payment  of  ex- 
actly $1,000  in  one  warrant  to  James  McCleery,  who  received 
altogether  $9,402.91  in  1904  and  $11,338.48  in  1905,  a  total 
of  $20,741.39.  Five  others  participated  in  the  payments  for 
paintings  Thomas  W.  Nugent  receiving  $5,379.57  and  Lawrence 
Kelly  $3,146.87  during  the  two  years.  By  dividing  the  total 
amount  expended  for  painting  by  the  total  number  of  bills,  the 
sum  of  approximately  $400  per  bill  is  gained. 

Much  the  same  story  is  revealed  by  an  examination  of  the 
other  items.  For  electrical  work  and  supplies  the  Electric 
Carriage  Call  Companv  received  $8,750  in  1904  and  $10,858.42 
in  1905,  a  total  of  $19,008.42 ;  H.  Hurwitz,  $4,829.17  in  1904  and 
$8,501.99  in  1905,  a  total  of  $13,331.16. 

For  iron  work,  etc.,  the  bulk  of  the  amount  expended  went 
to  the  Victor  Heating  Company,  which  received  $v5,289.60  in 
1904  and  $4,289.65  in  1905,  a  total  of  $10,579.25;  to  P.  J. 
Byrne,  whose  bills  in  1904  amounted  to  $5,097.57,  to  which  $150 
was  added  in  1905,  making  a  total  of  $5,247.57. 

Most  of  the  mason  work  w^as  performed  by  John  R.  Gray, 
who  received  $4,429.55  in  1904  and  $4,687.59  in  1905,  a  total  of 
$9,117.14.  Caspar  Haus  got  $1,873.91  in  1904  and  $2,894.35 
in  1905,  the  total  being  $4,768.26. 

92 


One  man,  Charles  Gateson,  by  name,  did  all  the  work  in 
connection  with  awnings  and  pipe  coverings,  and  was  paid 
■$11,867.77  in  sixty-five  warrants,  an  average  of  about  $182  per 
warrant. 

The  storage,  etc.,  of  floating  baths  might  easily  have  been 
done  by  contract,  and  probably  more  economically.  Charles 
L.  Rogers  and  Bro.  got  $3,465.75  for  storage  in  1904  (11  bills) 
and  $3,212.77  in  1905  (12  bills)  the  amount  of  service  performed 
being  the  same  in  both  years.  John  J.  Coakley  got  $790.50 
for  anchoring  baths  in  1904  and  $1,113.00  for  the  same  work 
in  1905.  For  towing,  Flannery's  Towing  Line  received  $883 
in  1904  and  for  the  same  work  $987  in  1905.  In  each  instance 
the  expenditure  in  1905  was  greater  than  in  1904. 

The  firm  of  Murphy  Bros,  did  all  of  the  extra  work  on  the 
Allen  Street  public  bath,  and  was  paid  in  six  warrants,  two  of 
which  were  for  $930  each  for  erecting  steel  drip  pans  un- 
der the  sidewalk  before  the  bath.  The  work  on  other 
public  baths  in  1904  was  performed  by  Alfred  Beinhauer, 
and  in  1905  by  Patrick  Gallagher.  The  roofing  work  was 
divided  between  John  McCarthy  and  M.  Keavy.  The  former 
received  $5,316.62  in  1904  (30  bills)  and  $6,478.92  in  1905 
(28  bils),  a  total  of  $11,795.54,  about  one-tenth  of  which  was 
for  repairs  to  sprinklers,  while  the  latter  received  $3,636.68 
in  1904  and  $655.20  in  1905,  a  total  of  $4,293.88. 

INCIDENTAL  EXPENDITURES. 

The  incidental  expenditures  of  the  borough  president  and 
his  subordinates  are  extremely  interesting,  inasmuch  as  they 
show  what  large  amounts  may  be  expended  in  the  course  of  a 
year  upon  items  that  are  insignificant  in  themselves.  These 
incidentals,  the  chief  item  of  which  was  car  fare,  reached  a 
total  of  $19,457.59  in  1904  and  $21,493.03  in  1905,  a  grand 
total  of  $40,950.62.  In  each  year  the  borough  president  re- 
quisitioned $3,000  himself,  in  twelve  monthly  installments  of 
$250  each,  while  his  various  bureaus  expended  the  remainder, 
the  details  being  given  herewith : 

Amount  Amount 

Expend-         Expend- 
Bureau.  ed  in  1904.       ed  in  1905.        Total. 

Borough  President's 
requisitions,  and 

Bur.    of    pub.    bldgs.    &    offices $7,005.39        $8,183.84      $15,189.23 

Bur.  of  eng.  of  st.  openings 168.85  165.14  333-99 

Bur.   of   highways 9,339-79  9,720.38         19,060.17 

Bur.    of    incumbrances 780.65  840.50  1,621.15 

Bur.    of    buildings 2,162.91  2,583.17  4,746.08 

Total     $19,457-59      $21,493.03      $40,950.62 

93 


CAB,  BUGGY  AND  LIGHT  WAGON  HIRE,  FOR  THE  USE  OF  THE 

BOROUGH  PRESIDENT,  HEADS  OF  BUREAUS,  AND 

INSPECTORS. 

The  details  relating  to  the  expenditures  for  cab,  coach, 
wagon,  buggy  and  horse  hire  (not  including  carting),  are 
as  interesting  as  those  concerning  'incidentals'.  For  cab  hire, 
etc.,  in  1904,  no  less  than  $23,299.87  was  expended;  in  1905, 
the  amount  was  $26,790,  a  total  of  $50,089.87  for  the  two  years. 
The  names  of  the  principal  beneficiaries  are : 


Name.  1904. 

N.  Y.  Cab  Co.  Ltd .$1,680.00 

James    J.    Smith 1,680.00 

Edward  Monaghan   1,680.00 

Martin  P.  Byrnes   1,652.90 

George  Forn   1,562.58 

John  JNIcGovern   1,540.00 

John  C.   MulHgan    1,540.00 

John   J.   Timmins    1,260.00 

William  Jones    980.00 

William    Grandon    1,120.00 

M.   Kane  &  Son    849.03 

John  J.  Mara   960.00 

Albert   E.    Crabtree    900.00 

Thomas  J.   Buckley    1,040.00 

George  Reilly   800.00 

H.    Rosenbloom    335oo 

Dennis  Duff 632.00 

Riverside  Stable  Co 560.00 

John  F.  Ryan   615.35 

Cornelius    McAuliff    800.00 


1905. 
$1,680.00 
,680.00 
,680.00 
,680.00 
,680.00 
,680.00 
,680.00 
,400.00 
,680.00 
,120.00 
,020.00 
960.00 
950.00 
800.00 
960.00 
1,290.00 
960.00 
860.00 
800.00 
480.00 


Total 
$3,360.00 
3,360.00 
3,360.00 
3.332.90 
3,242.58 
3,220.00 
3,220.00 
2,660.00 
2,660.00 
2,240.00 
1,869.03 
1,920.00 
1,850.00 
1,840.00 
1,760.00 
1,625.00 
1,592.00 
1,420.00 

1,415.35 
1,280.00 


Of  the  total  amount  expended  for  cab  hire,  etc.,  about  $36,000  was 
applied  to  the  accounts  of  the  bureau  of  highways.  The  remainder  was 
distributed  among  the  bureaus  of  sewers,  incumbrances,  buildings  and 
public  buildings. 


EXPERT  SERVICES. 

Under  the  terms  of  the  charter  the  borough  president  has 
power  to  appoint  consulting  engineers  of  highways,  sewers, 
and  public  buildings,  and  a  consulting  architect.  He  has  con- 
trol of  the  Unsafe  Building  Fund,  and  any  expenditure  he 
makes  in  this  connection  become  a  lien  against  the  property 
demolished.  For  professional  services  relating  to  the  highways, 
public  buildings,  and  unsafe  buildings,  etc.,  the  sum  of  $21,- 
873.44  was  expended  in  1904,  and  $80,050.63  in  1905,  the  total 
being  $101,924.07. 


94 


To  F.  Stuart  Williamson,  as  consulting  engineer  of  the 
Riverside  Drive  Extension,  $37,203  was  paid  in  1904-1905,  the 
amount  audited  in  1905  being  $30,998. 

Surveyors  for  the  highways  received  about  $33,000  in  the 
two  years,  the  principal  items  being  as  follows :  A.  P.  Hartman, 
$12,779.59 ;  George  C.  Wheeler,  $7,826.92 ;  Frederick  Reinert, 
$7,444.31;  C.  A.  Crane,  $2,104.26;  J.  W.  Howard,  $1,550.00; 
Charles  S.  Towle,  $936.84. 

About  $19,400  was  expended  for  professional  services  in 
connection  with  public  buildings,  $11,400  of  this  amount  being 
utilized  for  the  new  Hall  of  Records.  Bernstein  and  Bernstein, 
architects,  received  $5,821.20  for  general  services  in  the  two 
years.  The  large  amounts  expended  for  the  Hall  of  Records 
were :  Lewinson  and  Just,  consulting  engineers,  $3,645.49 ; 
Charles  Frederick  Hoffman,  real  estate  expert,  $3,500 ;  C.  O. 
Mailloux,  $2,576.99 ;  Albert  L.  Webster,  for  superintending 
plumbing,  $1,182.83— all  in  1905. 

Surveys  for  the  bureau  of  buildings  and  other  professional 
service  cost  $7,740.50  in  the  two  years.  The  commission  to  in- 
vestigate the  Hotel  Darlington  disaster  received  $1,500 ;  and 
the  following  are  the  larger  sums  paid  out  for  surveys :  John 
P.  Benson,  $1,325;  F.  S.  Benedict,  $1,025;  Charles  I.  Berg, 
$800;  Joseph  Wolf,  $575;  Ernest  Greene,  $550;  Edgar  Jos- 
selyn  and  D.  Erwitt  Ward,  $525  each ;  Charles  W.  Stoughton, 
$400. 


OTHER  EXPENDITURES. 

Other  notable  expenditures  without  public  contract,  appear 
in  the  records.  For  removing  and  shoring  unsafe  buildings, 
$65,332.03  was  paid  out  in  1904  and  $25,221.77  in  1905,  a  total 
of  $90,553.80.  Of  this  amount  Thomas  J.  Dunn  received  $60,- 
416.43  in  1904  and  $25,221.77  in  1905,  a  total  of  $85,638.20, 
while  Canavan  Bros,  were  paid  $4,590.66  in  1904.  7>;^  of  the 
Dunn  warrants  were  for  more  than  $i,ooo  a  piece,  and  bore  no 
contract  nuinbers,,  indicating  that  the  legal  limit  for  the  amount 
to  be  paid  for  work  without  contract  had  been  exceeded. 

Street  signs  and  incidental  supplies  and  repairs  came  to  a 
trifle  more  than  $7,000  during  the  two  years,  the  Empire  Orna- 
mental Glass  Company  receiving  $5,231.76,  paid  in  seventeen 
bills,  the  remainder  being  divided  among  four  firms. 

95 


For  removing  street  obstructions,  P.  Corrigan  received 
$5,489.69  in  1904  and  $0,836.90  in  1905,  a  total  of  $12,326.59, 
paid  in  forty-three  warrants.  The  sum  of  $16,614.77  was 
charged  to  cartage  in  the  two  years.  Of  this  amount  John 
ColHns  received  $6,084.10  in  1904  and  $7,058.67  in  1905,  $13,- 
142.77  in  all.  The  remainder  went  to  two  other  firms.  Nearly 
the  whole  amount  involved  in  this  particular  item  of  cartage 
was  expended  by  the  bureau  of  public  buildings  and  oflfices. 
Carting  in  the  bureaus  of  highways  and  sewers  is  charged  to 
payroll  and  is  not  included  in  the  above  items. 

The  bureau  of  sewers  paid  $48,447.60  for  repairing  and  re- 
building sewers  and  for  supplies,  such  as  manhole  covers  and 
frames.  The  Hicky  Contracting  Company  got  $10,071.64  in 
1904  and  $25,851.75  in  1905,  a  total  of  $35,923.39,  for  repairing 
and  rebuilding.  For  manhole  covers,  frames,  etc.,  $5,113.13 
was  paid  to  George  H.  Toop  in  1904  and  $4,926.53  in  1905,  a 
total  of  $10,039.66.  The  rest  of  the  expenditure  was  divided 
among  three  firms. 

The  most  notable  expenditures  without  public  contract  of 
the  bureau  of  highways  were :  Carting  and  removing  paving 
block,  $9,024.45,  to  the  Phcnix  Construction  Company ;  repair- 
ing tools,  $4,018 ;  for  draughting  and  engineering  supplies, 
$2,250 ;  for  breaking  stone,  $750 ;  for  monument  stones,  $700. 
The  bulk  of  the  amount  for  repairing  tools  went  to  L.  Carlin, 
who  received  $3,472.05  in  the  two  years.  Most  of  the  draught- 
ing supplies  w^ere  purchased  from  the  firm  of  Schwenke,  Kirke 
Co.,  which  received  $1,055.47  in  1904  and  $923.58  in  1905,  a 
total  of  $1,979.05.  Breaking  stone  was  done  by  Martin  Berger, 
while  W.  INIcGrath  supplied  the  monuments. 


PAVING  WITHOUT  CONTRACT. 

For  restoring  and  renewing  pavements  (principally  asphalt) 
the  bureau  of  highways  expended  without  public  contract  the 
following  amounts : 

No.  of 
companies  and 
Year.  Amount.  No.  of  warrants,     firms  participating. 

1904 $70,863.87  1.618  17 

190S 110,890.64  1,402  23 

Total $181,754.51  3,020  40 

96 


The  details  of  this  expenditure  are  to  be  found  in  the  follow- 
ing table. 

Tear  1904       No.  of  Year  190o     No.  of   Total  amt.   Total  no. 

and        warrants  and        warrants     for  the  of 

amount       In  1904.  amount.      in  1905.    two  years,  warrants. 

Barber   Co $30,820.43    688    $4.1,478.35    398  $75,298.78  1,086 

Sicilian  Co 10,870.27    282  16,588.91     300  27,459.18  582 

Warren  Scharf  Co 8,851.25     165  15,65333     i34  24,504.58  299 

Uvalde  Co 3,611.67     132  8,842.69    112  12,454.36  244 

Fruin  Bambrick  Co 4,486.87      72  6,240.63      64  10,727.50  136 

Atlantic  Alcatraz   5.994-ii       92  2,123.18      "jz  8,117.29  165 

Hastings  Co 2.506.89      52  4,752-57      96  7,25946  148 

Asphalt  Con.st.  Co... i,53940      ^7  3,934-30     117  5,473-73  184 

Mack  Paving  Co 764.26        9  1,250.91        6  2,015.17  15 

Degnon  Contracting  Co.          22.96        i  1,761.09        5  1,784.05  6 

Continental  Co 549-86      27  1,116.61       27  1,666.47  54 

U.  S.  &  Venezuela  Co 1,498-35      30  i,498-35  30 

Standard   Paving  Co 97.13        8  1,021.47       13  1,118.60  21 

Metropolitan  Paving  Co.       556.89       15  160.83        8  717-72  23 

Warner-Quinlan   Co 96.13        4  366.16        6  462.29  10 

Samuel  Weil 404.00        i  404.00  i 

U.   S.   Wood  Preserving 

Co 22.56        2  341-96        3  364-52  5 

Matthew  Baird  Contract- 
ing Co 269.79        2  269.79  2 

Abbott,  Gamble  Co 40.30        i  30.24        i  70.54  2 

William  Booth  32.89        i  35-98        3  68.87  4 

A.  MoUinelli 9.46        i  9.46  i 

N.  Y.  &  Bermudez  Co 6.83         i  6.83  I 

Asphalt  Paving  Co... 3.00        i  3.00  i 

Four  warrants  for  restoring   and   renewing    were   made  out 

for    over   $i,ooo   in   each    instance.  As    no    contract    numbers 

appeared    against    the   warrants,    it  is  assumed    that    the  legal 
restriction   was  exceeded. 


CARE  OF  PUBLIC  BUILDINGS. 

Besides  exercising  its  functions  as  purchasing  agent,  the 
bureau  of  public  buildings  and  offices  has  vmder  its  supervision 
certain  public  buildings,  markets,  corporation  yards,  and  offices. 
The  following  table  shows  the  number  of  these  buildings,  ex- 
clusive of  public  baths  and  comfort  stations,  under  the  control 
of  the  bureau,  during  the  years  1902,  1903,  1904  and  1905,  to- 
gether with  the  total  payroll  for  those  years.  Public  baths  and 
their  payrolls  are  discussed  in  the  following  chapter : 


97 


Public  buildings,  Markets  and  cor-  Offices  as  specified 

Year.   Court  Houses,  etc.  poration  yards.  in  reports  of  B.  P.      Payroll. 

1902 31  13  6  $269,856.38 

1903 29  II  6                         288,330.71 

1904 31  12  6                         328,146.36 

1905 29  II  7                         351,322.61 

From  the  foregoing  it  will  be  seen  that  although  the  num- 
ber of  buildings  and  markets  cared  for  by  the  bureau  in  1905 
was  four  less  than  the  number  under  supervision  in  1902,  the 
payroll  for  1905  was  greater  by  $81,466.23  than  the  1902  payroll. 


98 


An  example  of  isles  of  safety.     These  are  placed  in  the 

roadway  to  divide  the  stream  of  traffic  and  to 

afford  a  place  of  safety  for  crossing 

pedestrians. 


Front  elevation,  East  nth  Street  bath. 
Arnold  W.   Brunner,   Architect. 


Front  elevation,  East  76th  Street  bath. 
Stoughton  &  Stoughton,  Architects. 


PUBLIC  BATHS. 

During  the  past  five  years  the  City  of  New  York  has  au- 
thorized the  expenditure  of  nearly  $3,000,000  for  the  construc- 
tion of  free  pubHc  baths.  By  so  doing  it  has  recognized  both 
the  present  impracticability  of  compelling  an  adequate  pro- 
vision of  bathing  facilities  in  the  tenements,  and  the  existence 
of  a  large  number  of  people  in  these  tenements  for  whom  the 
absence  of  home  bath  tubs  constitutes  a  privation.  It  is  not 
believed,  however,  that  any  one  justifies  the  expenditure  of 
vast  sums  of  the  city's  money  merely  on  the  ground  that  by 
such  means  certain  members  of  the  community  are  made  physi- 
cally comfortable.  On  the  contrary,  the  public  provisions  of 
free  bathing  facilities  involves  two  assumptions :  First,  that 
bathing  is  a  means  of  safeguarding  the  public  welfare  by  the 
prevention  of  disease  and  by  raising  the  standard  of  personal 
cleanliness  and  morality ;  second,  that  by  the  maintenance  of 
free  public  baths  universal  bathing  is  more  nearly  and  most 
economically  accomplished. 

In  discussing  the  building  and  administration  of  the  Man- 
hattan public  baths  it  has  seemed  desirable  to  institute  a  com- 
parison in  cost  and  method  with  the  Brooklyn  system  of  public 
baths,  managed  with  great  economy  and  more  in  the  interest 
of  the  public.  The  comparison  is  wholly  fair  because  the  prob- 
lems of  administration  in  the  two  boroughs  are  closely  similar. 
By  means  of  the  comparison  it  is  possible  to  give  just  emphasis 
to  the  inefficient  and  extravagant  manner  in  which  the  baths  in 
Manhattan  are  operated. 


HISTORY  OF  THE  FREE  PUBLIC  BATH  MOVEMENT  IN  NEW 

YORK. 

In  1895  the  New  York  Legislature  enacted  a  law  requiring 
cities  of  the  first  and  second  classes  to  establish  and  maintain 
such  number  of  free,  public  baths,  other  than  river  or  ocean 
baths,  as  might  be  deemed  necessary  by  their  local  boards  of 
health. 

In  1896  an  expenditure  of  $200,000  was  authorized  for  the 
building  of  one  pubHc  bath  and  several  comfort  stations  in  New 

99 


York.  In  the  following  year  work  began  on  the  Rivington  Street 
Bath,  which  was  completed  three  and  one-half  years  later,  at  a 
total  cost  of  $100,000. 

No  further  steps  were  taken  by  the  city  toward  increasing 
the  facilities  for  public  bathing  until  1902.  In  June  of  that  year, 
a  stock  issue  of  $125,000  was  authorized,  after  considerable 
agitation  of  the  matter  by  various  civic  organizations  in  Brook- 
lyn, for  the  purchase  of  five  sites  for  baths,  and  the  erection  of 
one  bath  in  that  borough. 

In  June,  1902,  asa  result  of  insistent  petitions  from  philan- 
thropic organizations,  the  Board  of  Estimate  and  Apportion- 
ment authorized  an  issue  of  stock  to  the  amount  of  $105,000 
for  the  purchase  of  sites  and  the  construction  of  public  baths 
in  Manhattan. 

Since  that  date  additional  authorizations  have  increased  the 
total  stock  issues  for  public  bath  purposes  to  $803,522  for 
Brooklyn,  and  $2,086,335  for  Manhattan. 

Of  these  totals  an  authorized  stock  issue  of  $345,000,  made 
in  1904,  for  the  construction  of  baths  in  Brooklyn,  is  yet  un- 
expended. Likewise,  $300,000  authorized  for  sites  and  con- 
struction of  public  baths  in  the  borough  of  Manhattan,  in  1905, 
is  available  for  baths  in  addition  to  those  now  building: 

The  following  is  a  list  of  authorizations : 


MANHATTAN. 

1902. 

June    $105,000 

Jul}'    220,000 

October   83,000 

1903. 

April    5,000 

July    648,500 

December  75,ooo 

1904. 
May    633,000 

1905. 
March    300,000 

Total   $2,069,500 

Premiums    16.853.33 

Grand  Total. ..  .$2,086,335.33 


BROOKLYN. 

1902. 

June    $125,000 

December    28,000 

1903. 

March    90,000 

August    21 1,600 

1904. 
May    345,000 


Total    $799,600.00 

Premiums     3,922.85 

Grand  Total   $803,522.85 


100 


On  the  basis  of  these  authorizations  the  city  has  entered  into 
contracts  for  buildings  now  in  course  of  construction^  and  has 
erected  baths  as  follows  : 

MANHATTAN. 

Baths    Completed. 

West  41st  Street  Bath,  opened  November,  1904 $142,794.18 

East  109th   Street  Bath,   opened   March,    1905 137,780.60 

Allen  Street  Bath,  opened  November,  1905 134,440.94 

East  nth  Street  Bath,  opened  December,  1905 151,467.82 

East  76th  Street  Bath,  opened  January,  1906 124,640.73 

Total    $691,124.27 

Baths  in  Course  of  Construction,  May  i,  1906. 

West  6oth  Street  Bath,  contract  let,  Dec,  1903 $149,055.02 

East  23rd  Street  Bath,  contract  let,  Jan.,  1905 273,052.50 

Total    $422,107.52 

New  Bath  Sites. 

Rutgers  Place  $70,000.00 

Carmine  Street   (to  be  acquired  by  condemnation; 

price  asked  excessive)    

East  54th   Street    72,500.00 

■  I 

Total    $142,500.00 

Grand  Total    $1,255,731.79 

Total  authorization  for  baths  in  Manhattan $2,086,335.33 

Total  expenditures  to  date  for  baths  in  Manhattan 1,255,731.79 

Total   funds   available.    May,    1906,   for    additional    baths    in 
Manhattan    $830,603.54 

BROOKLYN. 

Baths  Completed. 

Hicks    Street    Bath,    opened    September,    1903 61,792.56 

Pitkin  Avenue  Bath,  opened   October,    1903 88,456.12 

Montrose  Avenue  Bath,  opened  October,  1904 96,041.80 

Huron  Street  Bath,  opened  April,  1905 103,724.35 

Duffield  Street  Bath,  opened  October,  1905 1 10,993.28 

Total    $461,008.1 1 

Baths  in  Course  of  Construction,  May  i,  1906. 

N.  E.  Cor.  President  and  4th  Avenues $118,700.00 

lOI 


New  Bath   Sites. 

Nostrand  Avenue    $5,500.00 

N.  E.  Cor.  Hamburg  and  Willoughby  Avenues....     7,500.00 

Total    $13,000.00 

Grand  Total    $592,708.11 

Total  authorization  for  baths  in  Brooklyn   $803,522.85 

Total  expenditures  for  baths  to  date  in  Brooklyn 592,708.11 

Total    funds    available,    May,    1906,    for    additional    baths    in 

Brooklyn     $210,814.74 

The  construction  of  the  Rivington  Street  Bath,  the  first  to 
be  erected  in  Manhattan,  consumed  three  and  a  half  years.  In 
the  same  way  it  required  over  two  years  to  complete  the  West 
41st  Street  Bath.  On  the  other  hand,  the  opening  of  the  Pitkin 
Avenue  Bath  in  Brooklyn  was  accomplished  in  ten  months  after 
the  awarding  of  the  contract. 

A  comparative  statement  of  the  time  required  for  the  com- 
pletion of  the  various  baths  in  the  two  boroughs  will  serve  as 
an  interesting  commentary  on  the  efficiency  of  the  superin- 
tendents of  public  buildings  and  offices  in  the  two  boroughs,  the 
officials  entrusted  with  supervising  the  work  of  the  contractors 
for  the  baths. 


MANHATTAN. 

Time  required 

Bath. 

Contract  awarded. 

Opened. 

in  building. 

Rivington   Street 

September,  1897  ' 

March, 

1901 

3  years,    6  mos. 

W.  41st  Street 

November,  1902 

November, 

1904 

2  years 

E.  109th  Street 

October,       1902 

March, 

1905 

2  years,    5  mos. 

Allen  Street 

October,       1903 

November, 

1905 

2  years,     I  mo. 

E.    nth    Street 

December,  1903 

December, 

1905 

2  years 

E.  76th  Street 

March,         1904 

January, 

1906 

I  year,     10  mos. 

Unopened. 

W.  60th   Street 

December,  1903 

May,     I. 

1906 

E.   23d   Street 

January,      1905 

I\Iay,     I 

1906 

BROOKLYN. 

Time  required 

Bath. 

Contract  awarded. 

Opened. 

in  building. 

Hicks    Street 

November,  1902 

September, 

1903 

10  mos. 

Pitkin   Avenue 

February,     1903 

October, 

1903 

gyi  mos. 

Montrose  Avenue 

;     July,             1903 

October, 

1904 

I  year,       3  mos. 

Huron   Street 

October,       1903 

April, 

1905 

I  year,      6  mos. 

Duffield   Street 

December,  1903 

October, 

1 90s 

I  year,     10  mos. 

102 


FREE  PUBLIC  BATHS  ■ 

■EAST  nxiiST  • 
■ARNOLD  W.BRUNNER-         FIRST    FLOOR    PLAN 

•ARCHITECT- 


FREE-PUBLIC  -BATHS 

-  EAST  UXSST  - 
ARNOLD  W-  BRUNNER  ■ 

■ARCHITECT  • 


•  SECOND  ■  FLOOR  -pLAN  • 


It  will  have  been  seen  that  it  required  twice  as  long  to  build 
a  public  bath  in  Manhattan  as  in  the  Borough  of  Brooklyn. 
The  superintendent  of  public  buildings  and  offices  in  Man- 
hattan attributes  the  slowness  with  which  baths  erected  during 
his  term  of  office  have  been  brought  to  completion  to  "unfore- 
seen obstacles  and  unavoidable  accidents."  Whether  the  ob- 
jection of  an  architect,  for  example,  to  marble  below  specifica- 
tion might  be  classed  in  either  of  these  categories  can  only  be 
surmised,  but  it  is  known  that  contractors  who  repeatedly  com- 
mit the  ofifense  of  attempting  to  use  inferior  materials  and  are, 
in  consequence,  delayed  in  rushing  the  building  through  by  a 
conscientious  architect,  have  never  been  subjected  to  the  con- 
tract penalty  for  exceeding  the  time  allowance. 

Not  only  has  it  required  a  greater  length  of  time  in  Man- 
hattan than  in  Brooklyn  to  open  baths  for  public  use  after 
money  has  been  appropriated  for  them,  but  the  baths  have  cost 
more  in  Manhattan  on  the  basis  of  units  than  they  have  in 
Brooklyn. 

The  following  table  shows  the  total  cost  of  six  Manhattan 
and  five  Brooklyn  baths,  including  the  cost  of  sites  where  these 
were  acquired  by  the  city  expressly  for  bath  purposes ;  the 
number  of  bath  units  in  each  bath,  and  the  cost  per  bath  unit  in 
each  case.  The  West  Sixtieth  Street  Bath  and  the  Twenty- 
third  Street  Bath,  in  Manhattan^  were  omitted  from  this  table, 
owing  to  the  fact  that  these  baths  contain  pools,  a  condition 
which  renders  invalid  their  comparison  in  cost  per  bath  unit, 
with  baths  containing  only  showers  and  tubs. 

MANHATTAN. 

Baths  No.  Total  Cost 

Completed.                         ^  units.  cost.  per  unit. 

Rivington    Street    ' TJ  $100,000.00  $1,298.70 

West  41st  Street 103  142,794.18  1,386.35 

East    109th    Street    129  137,780.60  1,068.06 

Allen   Street    98  134,440.94  1,371.84 

East   I  ith   Street   103  151,467.82  1,470.56 

East  76th   Street   113  124,640.73  1,103.01 

623  $791,124.27 
BROOKLYN. 

Baths                                                               No.  Total  Cost 

Completed.                                                          units.  cost.  per  unit. 

Hicks  Street   63  $61,792.56  $980.83 

Pitkin    Avenue    96  88,456.12  921.41 

Montrose  Avenue 99  96,041.80  970.12 

Huron   Street    100  103,724.35  1,037.24 

Duffield  Street  99  110,993.28  1,121.14 

457  $461,008.11 

Actual  cost  per  bath  unit*  m  Manhattan $1,269.86 

Actual  cost  per  bath  unit  in  Brooklyn $1,008.77 

♦The  term  "unit"  Is  used  to  indicate  the  separate  bath  stalls  consisting  of 
shower  and  dressing  room  or  bath-tub  room. 

103 


Baths   Containing   Pools   Under    Construction. 

No.  Total  Cost 

units.  cost.  per  unit. 

West  6oth  Street  230  $149,055.02  $648.06 

East  23rd  Street    154  273,052.50  $1,773.06 

The  extremely  high  cost  of  the  East  Twenty-third  Street 
Bath  is  partly  owing  to  the  fact  that  the  isolation  of  the  build- 
ing has  warranted  a  monumental  treatment  of  its  exterior  on 
three  sides. 

The  difference  in  cost  per  unit  between  the  Manhattan  and 
Brooklyn  baths,  observed  in  the  foregoing  table,  is  not  wholly 
due  to  extravagance  in  the  construction  of  the  Manhattan  baths. 
A  comparison  of  the  cost  per  bath  unit  of  the  baths  of  Man- 
hattan and  in  Brooklyn  shows  that  while  the  actual  cost  per 
unit  in  Manhattan,  including  the  cost  of  site,  was  $261.09  greater 
than  in  Brooklyn,  exclusive  of  site  it  was  only  $94.37  greater. 

The  following  are  the  detailed  costs  per  unit,  exclusive  of  site, 
in  the  tzvo  boroughs.  These  figures  may  serve  as  a  guide  to  other 
conmiunities  contemplating  the  erectio7t  of  public  baths  similar  to 
those  in  New  York  City. 


MANHATTAN. 


Bath.  Site. 

Rivington  Street City  Property 

West   41st    Street    $33,750.00 

East   109th   Street   19,000.00 

Allen  Street  35-331-65 

East  nth  Street  42,000.00 

East  76th  Street    11,000.00 

Total    $141,081.65 


Units. 

77 
103 
129 

98 
103 
113 


Cost  of 
building, 
fioo.ooo.oo 
109,044.18 
118,780.60 
99,109.29 
109,467.82 
113,640.73 


Cost  per 
unit  exclu- 
sive of  site. 
$1,298.70 
1,058.68 
920.78 
1,011.32 
1,062.79 
1,005.67 


623  $650,042.62 


Baths   Containing   Pools   Under    Construction. 


Bath.  Site.        Units. 

West  6oth  Street  $12,750.00      230 

East  23rd  Street   City  property       154 

BROOKLYN. 

Hicks  Street   $3,750.00  63 

Pitkin  Avenue    4,000.00  96 

Montrose  Avenue   250.00  99 

Huron   Street    5,800.00  100 

Duffield  Street  13,500.00  99 

Total    $27,300.00      457 

104 


Cost  of 

building. 

$136,305.02 

273,052.50 


$58,042.56 
84,456.12 
95,791.80 
97,924.35 
97,493.28 

$433,708.11 


Cost  per 
unit  exclu- 
sive of  site. 
$592.63 
1,773.06 


$921.31 
8797s 
96759 
977.24 

984.78 


Actual  cost  per  bath  unit  in   Manhattan,  exclusive  of  sites   and 

baths    under    construction    $1,043.40 

^Actual  cost  per  bath  unit  in  Brooklyn,  exclusive  of  sites  and  baths 

under  construction    $949.03 


The  scheme  for  the  use  of  the  pool  at  the  East  Twenty-third 
Street  Bath  (Manhattan),  where  no  separate  cleansing  showers 
and  dressing  rooms  for  the  exclusive  use  of  pool  boths  are  pro- 
vided, will  not  permit  more  than  154  persons  to  use  the  bath 
at  one  time.  This  mtmber  is  limited  by  the  number  of  dressing, 
shower  and  tub  stalls.  The  cost  of  installing  the  pool  in  this 
bath  is  not,  therefore,  offset  by  a  proportional  increase  in 
capacity,  so  that  this  bath  will  cost  per  unit  upwards  of  $1,700, 
nearly  three  times  the  cost  per  unit  of  the  West  Sixtieth  Street 
Bath  and  considerably  more  than  any  of  the  other  baths  now 
built  either  in  Manhattan  or  in  Brooklyn. 

In  theory  the  West  Sixtieth  Street  Bath  (Manhattan)  will 
accommodate  230  bathers  at  one  time.  This  is  crediting  the 
pool  and  the  34  open  cleansing  showers  built  in  connection 
with  it,  with  a  capacity  of  160  bathers.  One  hundred  and  sixty 
is  the  number  of  dressing  stalls  for  the  use  of  pool  bathers. 
Whether  in  actual  practice  it  will  be  possible  to  admit  160 
bathers  in  the  pool  section  of  the  bath  remains  to  be  demon- 
strated. In  practice  a  time  limit  will  be  placed  on  swimmers 
during  times  of  heavy  patronage  so  that  not  more  than  80 
swimmers  (the  estimated  capacity  of  the  pool)  will  be  per- 
mitted to  swim  at  one  time.  While  this  number  is  in  the  pool 
it  will  be  possible  to  admit  a  maximtmi  of  80  other  persons  to 
the  unoccupied  dressing  stalls  and  cleansing  baths,  and  so  on. 
If  this  prove  feasible,  the  cost  of  the  West  Sixtieth  Street 
Bath  will  be  the  lowest  of  all  baths  now  built,  on  the  base  of 
units  or  capacity. 


USE   OF  THE   BATHS. 

In  Manhatan  there  are  in  operation  623  public  bath  units 
and  in  Brooklyn  457.  The  law  requires  that  each  bath  be 
open  no  less  than  fourteen  hours  per  day.  The  average  length 
of  time  for  which  a  bather  is  permitted  to  occupy  a  bath  is 
twenty  minutes.  Each  bath  unit,  therefore,  is  capable  of  pro- 
viding a  maximum  of  42  baths  per  day.  If  all  the  baths  were 
in  constant  use  fourteen  hours  a  day,  60,000  persons  would 
enjoy  free  baths  daily. 

♦The  lower  cost  per  unit  in  Brooklyn  is  the  more  notable  because  the 
Brooklyn  baths  are  of  smaller  capacity 

105 


MANHATTAN. 

Maximum,  possible  daily 
Bath.  number    of   baths. 

Rivington    Street    3,234 

West  41st  Street  4,326 

East  109th  Street  5,4i8 

Allen  Street   4,116 

East  nth  Street  4-326 

East  76th  Street  4,746 

Total  Capacity  Opened  26,166 

West  60th   Street*    9,660 

East  23rd  Street*    6,468 

Total  Capacity  All  Baths   43,204 

BROOKLYN. 

Maximum,  possible  daily 
Bath.  number   of   baths. 

Hicks    Street    2,646 

Pitkin  Avenue   4,032 

Montrose    Avenue    4,iS8 

H  uron  Street   4,200 

Duffield   Street    4,158 

Total  Capacity  I9,i94 

The  actual  attendance  is,  as  a  matter  of  fact,  considerably 
less  than  the  capacity  of  the  baths.  Men  patronize  the  baths 
in  larger  numbers  than  women.  The  capacity  of  the  several 
baths  in  operation  in  the  period  from  April  1  to  December  1, 
1905,  by  sexes  and  the  actual  attendance  by  sexes  follow.  The 
figures  for  attendance  were  taken  from  the  records  of  the 
superintendent  of  public  baths,  in  Manhattan  and  Brooklyn.  In 
Manhattan  these  records  are  based  upon  the  estimates  of  at- 
tendance made  by  the  attendant  in  charge  of  the  several  baths, 
there  being  no  absolute  method  of  recording  the  patronage  at 
any  of  the  baths  in  that  borough. 

MANHATTAN. 

Max.,   pos-  Average,  actual 

sible  daily  baths.  number  baths. 

Bath.                                                       Male.       Female.  Male.       Female. 

Rivington   Street   2,100            1,034  1,761            1,001 

West  41st  Street   2,982            i,344  592               475 

East  I09tli  Street  3.948            i,470  741               363 

BROOKLYN. 

Max.,    pos-  Average,  actual 

sible  daily  baths.  number  baths. 

Bath.                                                       Male.       Female.  Male.       Female. 

Hicks  Street   1,890               756  1,576  _          755 

Pitkin   Avenue    2,730             1,302  974               360 

Montrose  Avenue    2,856            1,302  1,385               921 

Huron   Street    2,898            1,302  854              411 

♦Unopened  May  1,  1906. 

106 


Z 


O 
u 

r 

!? 

a: 

B 

r 

CO 

o 


2 
o 

u 


< 

ex 


< 


Partitions  ;  Tennessee  marble  ;  floor,  cement ;  seat,  wood.    Note  location  of  drain  oflf  center  to  avoid 
obstruction  by  the  feet  of  the  bather. 


The  period  covered  in  the  above  comparison  is  the  period 
during  which  the  baths  are  most  generously  used.  The  differ- 
ence in  the  patronage  during  the  winter  months  and  during  the 
summer  months  is  striking. 

AVERAGE  DAILY  PATRONAGE. 

Winter.  Summer. 

January,  February,  June,  July, 

Manhattan.                                                       March.  August. 

Male.       Female.  Male.       Female. 

Rivington  Street   1,067            470  2,072            1,202 

West  41st  Street    340              86  1,373               685 

Brooklyn. 

Pitkin    Avenue    706            290  1,188               471 

Montrose  Avenue  540            279  1,849            1,282 

The  very  marked  difference  in  attendance  at  the  Rivington 
Street  Bath,  which  contains  77  bath  units  and  the  West  Forty- 
first  Street  Bath,  which  contains  103  bath  units,  may  be  partly 
explained  by  the  fact  that  the  West  Forty-first  Street  Bath  was 
opened  in  November,  1904.  A  very  important  cause  for  this 
difference,  however,  is  believed  to  lie  in  the  fact  that  the  Riv- 
ington Street  Bath  is  located  in  the  Jewish  quarter.  The  Jews 
are  regarded  by  the  attendants  as  especially  "good  bathers." 

COST   OF  OPERATION. 

The  actual  average  attendance,  day  by  day,  at  the  several 
baths,  up  to  December  31,  1905,  failed  to  justify  the  expecta- 
tions of  the  authorities  as  indicated  by  the  maximum  capacity 
of  the  different  institutions.  By  reason  of  the  eight-hour  law 
each  bath  must  be  provided  with  a  double  shift  of  employees 
for  the  fourteen  hours  during  which  it  remains  open.  The 
cost  of  this  service  in  the  Manhattan  baths  greatly  exceeded  the 
cost  in  the  Brooklyn  baths  in  proportion  to  the  number  of 
bathers  in  the  two  boroughs.  This  fact  reveals  a  disregard  of 
business  methods  in  the  management  of  the  Manhattan  baths 
in  that  the  number  of  attendants  exceeded  the  requirement  of 
the  patronage.  It  will  be  recalled  that  during  the  period  under 
review  Martin  W.  Littleton  was  president  of  the  Borough  of 
Brooklyn. 

The  contrast  in  the  number  of  bathers  and  in  the  cost  between 
winter  and  summer  months  at  the  public  baths  indicates  the  ex- 
tent to  which  bathing  is  due  to  a  desire  for  physical  comfort, 
rather  than  fof  health  and  cleanliness.  It  shows,  also,  the  ex- 
cessive expenditure  for  wages  during  the  winter  months  when 
patronage  is  light. 

On  the  showing  of  the  next  table,  the  cost  per  bather  in 
Brooklyn  was  "48.3  per  cent  of  the  cost  per  bather  in  Manhattan. 

107 


Bath. 
Rivington 
West  41st 


MANHATTAN. 
January   i — December  31,    1905. 


Supplies 

and  Pay  Total 

ropaks.  roll.  expense. 

.$8,837.41   $22,400.00  $31,237.41 
7,2,06.2^     21,047.50     28,353.73 


East     109th*.  10,307.57     16,482.00    26,789.57 


Cost 
Total       In  sup- 
batbs      plies  & 
given.      repairs. 

Cost 

in 

pay 

roll 

Total 
cost 
per 

batber. 

651,741     .0135 
275,464      .0265 
252,619      .0407 

•0343 
.0764 
.0652 

.0479 
.1029 
.1060 

Totals 


Hicks    . . . 
Pitkin     . . 
Montrose 
Huron** 


$86,380.71       1,179,824 
BROOKLYN. 
January  i — December  31,  1905. 


.0732 


4.288.34  12,454.99  16,743.33 

6.648.35  12,517.49  19,165.84 
5,226.86  12,642.49  17,869.35 
5,629.53  9,416.18  15,045-71 


619,850  .0069  .0200  .0270 

396,037  .0167  .0316  .0483 

628,319  .0082  .0201  .0284 

299,390  .0188  .0314  .0535 


Totals 


^,824.23   1,943,596 


•0354 


The  net  cost  to  the  city  for  each  bath  given  in  Brooklyn  was 
further  reduced  by  reason  of  the  fact  that  a  revenue  is  derived 
from  the  Brooklyn  baths,  through  the  supplying  of  soap  and 
towels  to  the  patrons,  and  a  charge  for  the  use  of  tub  baths. 
Towels  and  soap  are  not  supplied  in  the  Manhattan  baths,  nor 
is  any  charge,  whatsoever,  made  for  the  privilege  of  bathing 
either  in  a  shower  or  a  tub  bath.  The  total  revenue  derived 
from  this  source  in  Brooklyn  for  the  period  under  considera- 
tion, and  from  the  baths  in  question,  was  $5,130.78. 

By  deducting  this  amount  from  the  total  actual  cost  of  all 
baths  given  at  the  four  Brooklyn  baths  in  question,  a  net  actual 
cost  per  bather  of  $.0327  is  shown.  With  this  deduction,  the 
cost  per  bather  in  Brooklyn  was  44.6  per  cent  of  the  cost  per 
bather  in  Manhattan. 


JANUARY-FEBRUARY-MARCH,    1905. 
Manhattan. 

Baths.                       Total  bathers.  Total  wage  cost. 

Male.     Female.  Male.          Female. 

Rivington    86,495      38,050  $2,913.00      $2,946.00 

West   41st    27,159        6,798  2,565.00        2,250.00 

Brooklyn. 

Hicks   52,808      13,906  1,814.37        1,289.37 

Pitkin    57,185      22A72  1,814.37        1,289.37 

Montrose    43,7i6      22,615  1,814.37        1,289.37 


Wage  cosi 

per  bather. 

Male.  Female. 

$.034      $.077 
.094        .331 


.034  .093 
•032  .055 
.042        .057 


♦The  109th  Street  bath  was  opened  March  17,  1905.  The  figures  for  this 
bath,  therefore,  only  cover  the  period  between  March  17  and  December  31,  1905. 

**The  Huron  Avenue  bath  was  opened  April  1,  1905.  The  figures  for  this 
bath,  therefore,  only  cover  the  period  between  April  1  and  December  31,  1905. 


108 


Dressing  room   and    shower;   showing   type   of 

hot    and     cold    water    mixer    on    left. 

West     6oth     Street     bath. 


JUNE,  JULY,  AUGUST,  1905. 

Manhattan. 

Wage  cost. 

Baths.                       Total  bathers.            Total  wage  cost.  per  bather.S 

Male.     Female.         Male.          Female.  Male.  Female. 

Rivington    17S462     102726        $3,007.66      $2,180.57  $.017      $-02i 

West   41st    113,332      56,070          2,919.57        2,171.74  .026        .039 

East    109th* 100,833      53,118          2,516.32        2,260.82  .025        .043 


Brooklyn. 


Hicks     160,883  86,657 

Pitkin     98,624  39,091 

Montrose    I53,43i  106,365 

Huron**    110,918  55,049 


1,8x4.37 

1,289.37 

.oil 

.015 

1,814.37 

1,289.37 

.018 

.033 

1,814.37 

1,289.37 

.012 

.012 

1,814.37 

1,289.37 

.016 

.023 

A  summary  of  the  above  table  by  boroughs  will  show  the 
contrast  in  attendance  and  cost  of  operation  between  the  cold 
and  hot  seasons : 


WINTER  MONTHS. 


Manhattan 
Brooklyn 


Total  bathers. 
Male.     Female. 
.113,654      44,848 
■  153,709      59,993 


Total  cost. 
Male.  Female. 

$5,478.00      $5,196.00 
5,443.11         3,868.11 


Actual  cost 

per  bather. 

Male.  Female. 

$.048      $.116 

.035        .064 


SUMMER  MONTHS 


Manhattan 
Brooklyn 


Total  bathers. 
Male.     Female. 
.389,627    211,914 
•523,856    287,162 


Total  cost. 

Male.  Female. 

^8,443.55      $6,<6i3.i3 

7,257.48        5,15748 


Actual  cost 

per  bather. 

Male.  Female. 

$.022      $.031 

.014        .0x8 


It  will  have  been  noticed  that,  during  the  winter  months  at 
the  West  Forty-first  Street  Bath,  Manhattan,  the  cost  per  female 
bather,  for  wages  alone,  was  over  $.33,  three  times  as  inuch  as 
the  cost  in  wages  for  each  female  bather  at  the  Brooklyn  bath 
on  Hicks  Street,  and  four  times  greater  than  the  cost  in  wages 

♦Opened  March,  1905. 

§The  cost  per  bather  in  payroll  in  the  male  and  female  departments  was 
determined  as  follows  :  For  the  male  bathers,  all  male  attendants  plus  one-half 
the  wages  paid  engineers  and  firemen.  For  the  female  bathers,  all  female  atten- 
dants plus  one-half  the  wages  paid  engineers  and  firemen. 

•♦Opened  April,  1905. 


109 


per  female  bather  at  Riv'ington  Street,  in  ]\Ianhattan.  It  will 
be  interesting  to  observe  in  the  following  table  the  number  of 
male  and  female  attendants  employed  at  the  West  Forty-first 
Street  Bath  during  the  winter  months,  the  wages  paid  them  by 
weeks,  and  the  total  number  of  male  and  female  bathers  for 
the  corresponding  weeks.  The  table  will  show,  also,  the  cost 
per  bather,  by  weeks,  in  wages  paid  attendants  only,  excluding 
the  wages  paid  engineers  and  firemen.  The  number  of  male 
attendants  remained  constant  while  the  number  of  male  bathers 
increased  over  180  per  cent.  The  number  of  female  attendants 
decreased  two,  while  the  number  of  female  bathers  increased 
over  186  per  cent.  Either  the  attendants  were  insufficiently 
occupied  during  the  first  two  months  or  overworked  when  the 
patronage  increased. 


West  Forty-First  Street  Bath,  Winter. 

Wage  cost 
Week  '  for  attendants 

Ending  Bathers.  Attendants.  per  bather. 

Male.  Female.  Male.  Female.  Male.  Female. 

No.  Wages.      No.      Wages. 

Jan.      7    1,2/9      4^7        8  $i43-50        9        $126.00    $0,112    $0,295 

13 1.552      405        8  143-50        9  126.00        .092        .311 

21  1,623      549        8  143.50        8  112.00        .088        .204 

28 1,367      276        8  143.50        8**      116.00        .105        -420 

Feb.    4  1,586      446        8  143.50        9  126.00        .091        .282 

II   2,230      443        8  143.50        9  126.00        .064        .284 

18  1,997      432        8  143.50        9  126.00        .072        .291 

25   2,631      582        8  143.50        9  126.00        .055        .216 

Mar.    4 1,241      512        8  143-50        9  126.00        .115        .246 

II 3,143      596        8  143.50        9  126.00        .046        .211 

18 2,096      664        8  14350        8  112.00        .069        .168 

25 4,048      672        8  143-50        7  98.00        .036        .145 

31*   2,366      794        8  123.00        7  84.00        .052        .105 


THE  ADMINISTRATION  OF  THE  PUBLIC  BATHS  SYSTEM. 

The  public  baths  in  the  several  boroughs  are  under  the  juris- 
diction of  the  respective  borough  presidents.  Being  public 
buildings  they  are  assigned  to  the  care  of  the  superintendent 
of  public  buildings  and  offices.  It  was  found  at  the  very  begin- 
ning of  the  development  of  the  bath  system  that  a  chief  super- 
vising ofificer  in  addition  to  the  superintendent  of  public  build- 
ings was  necessary  to  properly  administer  the  baths.    Accord- 

•Thls   period  is  only   six  days. 

**Tliis  •week  eight  female  attendants  received  full  time  pay  for  seven  days. 
One  female  attendant  received  additional  pay  for  overtime  amounting  to  two 
full  days  pay. 

IIO 


ingly,  a  civil  service  position  was  established  for  this  purpose 
with  the  title  of  superintendent  of  public  baths  and  comfort 
stations.  The  superintendent  is^  in  fact,  merely  an  attache  in 
the  office  of  the  superintendent  of  public  buildings.  That  of- 
ficer is  the  president's  representative  as  the  official  head  of  the 
public  baths.  The  present  incumbent  of  the  position  of  su- 
perintendent of  public  baths  is  entrusted  with  no  responsibility 
in  their  care  and  development.  His  authority  is  entirely  limited 
to  the  execution  of  the  orders  of  his  superior,  the  superintend- 
ent of  public  buildings.  The  public  baths  employ,  apparently, 
too  many  persons  and  involve  the  expenditure  of  too  large  a 
sum  of  money  to  be  given  over  to  a  superintendent  selected  by 
civil  service  examination.  This  would  not  conform  to  President 
Ahearn's  ideas  of  good  administration.  Complete  responsibility 
for  the  manner  in  which  the  baths  are  administered  in  Man- 
hattan, particularly,  must  be  shared  between  the  president  and 
his  appointee,  the  superintendent  of  public  buildings  and  offices. 

The  attendants  at  the  various  baths  are  civil  service  em- 
ployees but  are  placed  on  the  list  after  a  very  superficial  ex- 
amination. In  Manhattan  they  are  not  selected  for  their  ca- 
pacity to  keep  the  baths  in  good  clean  condition,  or  their  desire 
to  become  experts  in  the  management  of  a  bath.  For  many  of 
them  the  job  at_an  interior  bath  is  a  comfortable  berth,  with 
good  pay,  short  hours,  and  little  work.  Many  of  the  attendants 
have  been  transferred  to  the  interior  baths  from  the  floating 
baths,  as  the  interior  baths  have  been  opened.  The  slight  duties 
exacted  of  the  floating  bath  attendant  has  led  some  of  those 
transferred  to  the  interior  baths  to  believe  that  they  were  in- 
tended merely  as  ornamental  accessories  to  these  institutions. 
The  attendants  are  required  to  wear  no  uniforms,  the  only  in- 
signia of  their  position  being  a  metal  badge  and,  in  the  case 
of  men,  a  white  canvas  cap.  In  several  instances  the  women 
employees  have  refused  to  clean  up  the  baths  on  the  ground 
that  they  were  attendants  and  not  scrubwomen.  The  presence 
of  four  or  five  women-in-waiting  in  the  reception  room  of  a 
public  bath  is,  possiblv,  a  desirable  thing;  but  ordinarily  it  con- 
stitutes a  luxury  without  which  the  baths  might  better  prosper. 
If  the  civil  service  examination  does  not  classify  the  persons 
eligible  to  positions  at  public  baths  as  workers,  some  change  in 
the  legal  definition  of  attendants  should  promptly  be  made  or  the 
employees  at  the  baths  otherwise  classified  so  that  there  may 
be  no  misunderstanding  as  to  what  constitutes  the  proper  duties 
of  a  bath  house  attendant. 

That  the  fault  does  not  lie  wholly  in  the  civil  service  classi- 
fication is  attested  by  the  fact  that  the  attendants  in  the  Brook- 

III 


lyn  baths,  who  are  drawn  from  the  same  civil  service  hsts  as 
are  those  in  Manhattan,  regularly  clean  the  baths  to  which  they 
are  assigned,  A  more  vigorous  policy  on  the  part  of  the  Bor- 
ough President  with  respect  to  the  performance  of  their  duties 
by  the  bath  attendants,  would  doubtless  put  a  prompt  end  to 
their  imposition  upon  the  city. 

The  charter  requires  that  the  superintendent  of  public  build- 
ings and  offices  shall  be  a  practical  builder  or  architect  of  long 
experience.  As  his  chief  duties  are  connected  with  the  care 
and  maintenance  of  public  buildings  he  is  not  more  qualified  to 
administer  the  public  bath  system  than  he  is  to  administer  the 
jails  or  public  libraries.  It  is  unjust  that  he  should  be  burdened 
with  so  important  a  social  undertaking,  which  is,  also,  entirely 
without  the  field  of  his  past  experience,  and  apart  from  his  legal 
qualifications  for  his  office.  The  public  bath  system  in  New 
York  is  no  small  thing.  It  is  unfair  to  the  public  baths  that 
they  do  not  have  the  intelligent,  alert  supervision  of  an  official 
whose  business  it  is  to  administer  this  department  exclusively. 
If  the  completed  bath  system  were  to  be  administered  by  the 
standards  of  the  present  superintendent  of  buildings,  it  is  doubt- 
ful whether  the  friends  of  public  baths  could  conscientiously 
support  large  appropriations  for  new  baths  or  for  the  mainten- 
ance of  old  baths. 

In  view  of  the  showing  of  the  cost  of  construction  and 
administration,  it  would  seem  that  the  proper  time  has 
come  for  the  City  to  establish  a  bureau  of  public  baths  under 
each  borough  president, coordinate  with  the  bureau  of  public 
buildings  and  offices.  This  plan  would  definitely  locate  in  one 
man  the  responsibility  for  developing  the  patronage  of  the  baths 
and  insure  their  full  utilization  by  the  community. 

It  is  believed  that  the  efficiency  of  the  administration  of  the 
public  baths  system  would  be  increased,  if  each  bath  were  placed 
in  charge  of  a  responsible  foreman  or  superintendent,  who 
would  be  held  accountable  for  the  conduct  of  the  attendants 
and  the  cost  per  bather  to  the  city.  These  foremen  or  super- 
intendents should  be  directly  responsible  to  the  head  of  the 
pubhc  baths  bureau,  who  would  in  turn  be  responsible  to  the 
borough  president.  As  the  organization  now  stands,  there  is 
merely  a  nominal  attendant  in  charge  at  the  several  baths,  nor 
is  he  in  any  position  to  know  what  the  cost  of  operating  his 
bath  is,  any  more  than  he  is  responsible  for  the  cost.  With 
this  responsibility  would  come  a  desire,  on  the  one  hand,  of 
increasing  the  attendance  of  the  baths^  and  on  the  other  hand, 
of  decreasing  the  cost  of  operation.    Absolute  economy  in  the 

112 


The     pool     in     the     West     6oth     Street     public     bath, 

showing  cuspidors   and   gutters   at   the  end    of 

the     pool    to     carry     off     the     surface 

waste.      The    dimensions    of    the 

pool  are  35  by  60  feet. 


operation  of  the  baths  cannot  be  achieved  without  definite 
knowledge  of  what  it  costs  the  city  to  give  a  single  bath  at  any 
time.  At  present  there  is  no  means  whereby  this  information 
can  be  secured  with  exactness,  either  in  Manhattan  or  in 
Brooklyn. 

In  Brooklyn,  a  correct  account  of  all  expenditures  for  sup- 
plies and  repairs  is  kept  by  the  bookkeeper  in  the  office  of 
the  commissioner  of  public  works.  It  is  impossible  to  determine 
with  accuracy,  however,  what  the  cost  at  each  bath  is  for  wages. 
As  a  general  rule,  each  bath  has  the  same  complement  of  em- 
ployees, but  frequent  variations  are  made  from  this  complement 
by  reason  of  absences  and  transfers. 

In  Manhattan,  each  payroll  definitely  indicates  the  number 
of  employees  at  each  bath  and  the  amount  due  and  owing  them. 
No  ledger  account,  however,  is  kept  of  these  payroll  charges. 
In  order  to  secure  information  concerning  the  payroll  for  the 
Manhattan  baths  upon  which  the  tables  in  this  report  are  based, 
it  was  necessary  to  have  the  rolls  gathered  from  the  vaults  in 
the  city  paymaster's  office,  and  to  collect  from  these  the  infor- 
mation desired.  It  would  be  a  very  simple  thing  to  keep  an 
accurate  account  of  these  weekly  payments  in  wages  in  the 
office  of  the  superintendent  of  public  buildings,  where  there  is 
already  a  sufficient  clerical  force  to  perform  this  work. 

Neither  is  a  ledger  account  kept  in  Manhattan,  showing 
the  expenditures  for  repairs  and  supplies  at  the  several  baths. 
The  information  for  the  tables  in  this  report  was  secured 
from  an  unclassified  daybook  in  the  office  of  the  superintendent 
of  public  buildings,  into  which  are  entered  the  vouchers  drawn 
for  these  items.  That  a  carefully  posted  ledger  showing  these 
charges  is  not  kept  can  only  be  attributed  to  indifference  or  an 
absence  of  the  realization  of  the  importance  of  this  information 
as  the  basis  for  efficient  management. 

If  a  bureau  of  public  baths  were  created,  this  information 
could  be  kept  there,  in  a  manner  which  would  permit  of  a  ready 
determination  of  the  cost  involved  in  the  operation  of  each  of 
the  several  baths. 

To  determine  the  cost  per  bather  to  the  city,  it  is  necessary 
to  know,  with  accuracy,  the  actual  number  of  bathers  at  each 
of  the  baths  every  day  in  the  year.  This  information  cannot  be 
secured  now  in  Manhattan. 

113 


In  Brooklyn  the  selling  of  soap  and  the  provision  of  towels, 
in  addition  to  the  charge  for  the  tub  baths,  serves  to  record  with 
accuracy  the  number  of  daily  bathers.  Each  bather  is  given  a 
check  which  is  numbered  and  indicates  whether  he  has  re- 
ceived a  towel  or  not.  The  duplicate  of  this  check  is  kept  in 
the  ofificc.  By  means  of  these  duplicates  a  reliable  record  of  at- 
tendance is  secured. 

In  Manhattan,  no  towel  or  soap  is  provided  nor  is  any 
charge  made  for  the  use  of  the  baths.  The  estimates  of  the 
daily  attendance  are  purely  guess-work  on  the  part  of  the  at- 
tendants who,  presumably,  have  some  interest  in  making  the 
patronage  appear  as  large  as  possible.  When  the  attendance 
is  at  all  large,  it  is  practically  impossible  to  determine  the  num- 
ber of  bathers.  Estimates  are  based  upon  the  number  of  times 
a  certain  stall  was  in  use,  and  the  average  time  consumed  by 
each  bather  in  bathing  and  dressing.  As  the  stalls  are  not 
numbered  it  is  reasonable  to  assume  that  the  memory  of  the 
attendants  would  become  confused. 

In  order  to  determine  the  degree  of  inaccuracy  in  the  method 
of  estimating  the  attendance  at  the  baths  in  Manhattan,  the 
New  York  Association  for  Improving  the  Condition  of  the 
Poor  employed  two  watchers  to  record  the  number  of  persons 
entering  the  West  Forty-first  Street  Bath  during  the  week  end- 
ing January  14,  1905.  These  watchers  submitted  their  report 
under  oath.  Their  affidavits  are  on  file  in  the  office  of  the 
Association.  Their  count  included  all  persons  seen  to  enter 
the  baths  during  the  hours  in  which  the  bath  was  open,  namely, 
from  7  o'clock  in  the  morning  until  9  o'clock  in  the  evening. 
All  these  persons  may  not  have  taken  baths.  Assuming  that 
they  did  take  baths,  the  following  table  will  show  the  discrep- 
ancy between  the  actual  count  of  these  watchers  and  the  re- 
ported official  estimate  of  attendance,  made  by  the  attendant  in 
charge. 

ATTENDANCE    WEST    FORTY-FIRST    STREET    BATH,    WEEK 
ENDING  JANUARY  14,  1905. 

Date.  7  to  2 

o'clock 

Mon.  Jan.     9 20 

Tues.  "      10 36 

Wed.  "      II 40 

Thurs.  "      12 38 

Fri.  "      13 18 

Sat.  ■'      14 62 

Total    for    Week 214  475  689  479         1,331  1,810 

114 


Actual  Count. 

Official  Report. 

2  to  9 

Total. 

7  to  2 

2  to  9    Total. 

o'clock 

o'clock 

o'clock 

49 

69 

107 

219           326 

80 

116 

38 

140            1 78 

85 

125 

SI 

203           254 

61 

99 

61 

235           296 

76 

94 

72 

182           254 

124 

186 

150 

352           502 

On  this  showing  the  estimate  of  the  attendants  in  charge 
exaggerated  the  attendance  at  this  bath  for  this  week  by  1,121, 
or  nearly  200  per  cent,  thereby  affording  ostensible  justification 
for  the  large  payroll. 

On  several  other  occasions  a  count  was  taken  of  the  actual 
attendance  at  this  bath  and,  also,  at  the  Rivington  Street  Bath. 
The  invariable  result  showed  an  over-estimated  attendance  in 
the  official  reports.  It  is  believed  that  this  is  sufficient  evi- 
dence of  inaccuracy  to  warrant  the  provision  of  some  means 
of  recording  the  attendance  with  at  least  a  reasonable  degree  of 
accuracy. 

This  accuracy  might  be  secured  by  the  installation  of  regis- 
tering turnstiles,  through  which  all  incoming  patrons  should  be 
directed.  This  would  be  facilitated  by  the  provision  of  alley- 
ways made  with  brass  or  wooden  railings.  In  some  of  the  baths 
the  installation  may  not  be  practicable  because  of  the  narrow 
doors  which  lead  from  the  waiting  rooms  into  the  bath  rooms. 
An  alternative  method  would  be  found  in  the  use  of  duplicate 
checks,  one  being  given  to  the  incoming  bather,  and  by  him  de- 
posited in  a  receptacle  on  entering  the  bath  foom,  and  the  other 
kept  in  the  office.  A  third  means  of  recording  the  attendance 
would  be  found  in  the  use  of  a  register  similar  to  those  in  use 
on  street  cars  for  registering  fares.  This  register  would  be  op- 
erated by  the  attendant  v/ho  is  now  stationed  at  the  entrance 
to  prevent  the  bathers  carrying  in  paper  or  packages  other  than 
those  containing  towels.  With  one  of  these  methods  in  use, 
the  exaggeration  of  the  daily  attendance  would  be  the  fault 
of  dishonest  practice,  rather  than  the  consequence  of  ordinary 
fallibility  of  memory  and,  for  that  reason,  less  likely  to  occur. 

Under  the  present  administration  of  baths  in  Manhattan, 
the  attendants  in  charge  are  permitted  to  exercise  their  own 
judgment  with  regard  to  the  hour  of  closing  the  baths  at  night. 
Frequently,  on  investigation,  it  has  been  found  that  the  baths 
were  closed  as  early  as  eight  o'clock  in  the  evening  during 
the  months  when  the  daily  patronage  was  slight.  At  these 
times  the  baths  open  at  7  o'clock  in  the  morning.  By  closing 
at  8  in  the  evening,  the  law  which  requires  that  the  baths  remain 
open  no  less  than  fourteen  hours  each  day  is  violated.  By 
leaving  the  hour  of  closing  to  the  discretion  of  the  attend- 
ants it  is  more  likely  that  they  will  consult  their  own  conve- 
nience than  that  they  will  regard  the  law  or  the  rights  of  the 
community.  This  shortening  of  the  hours  during  which  the 
baths  are  open  for  the  use  of  the  public,  serves  to  increase  the 
cost  per  bather  rather  than  to  reduce  it.     The  saving  in  light 

115 


and  coal  is  insignificant.  Against  this  slight  saving  must  be 
charged  the  cost  of  permitting  an  expensive  plant  to  remain 
idle,  and  the  wages  paid  the  employees  for  time  during  which 
they  render  no  service  in  return. 

Further  than  this,  bathers  who  find  the  baths  closed  before 
the  proper  hour  of  closing  are  inclined  not  to  return.  This 
discouragement  of  patrons  acts  directly  against  the  cultivation 
of  the  bathing  habit  and  thus  tends  to  defeat  the  prime  purpose 
of  establishing  public  baths.  Attention  to  this  illegal  early  clos- 
ing has  been  called,  from  time  to  time,  by  the  press,  with  the  re- 
sult that  the  proper  hours  were  observed.  This  is  a  matter 
which,  apparently,  requires  the  constant  vigilance  of  persons 
other  than  the  present  responsible  official. 

For  thirty  years  the  City  of  New  York  has  maintained  swim- 
ming baths  during  the  summer  months  at  various  places  along 
the  water  front.  These  baths  are  large  wooden  structures  about 
64  feet  by  9-i  feet  in  dimension.  The  baths  are  floated  on  wooden 
compartments,  and  contain  about  60  dressing  rooms  which  are 
covered  over  and  surround  an  open  pool  about  40  feet  by  70 
feet  in  area.  This  pool  is  provided  with  a  wooden  slat  flooring 
through  which  the  water  flows.  The  average  cost  of  these 
baths  was  approximately  $12,000. 

At  the  present  time  the  city  owns  twenty  floating  baths,  five 
of  which  are  located  in  Brooklyn  and  fifteen  in  Manhattan.  It 
is  estimated  that  over  one  million  bathers  use  the  baths  in 
Brooklyn  during  the  summer  and  double  that  number  are  re- 
]()orted  to  attend  the  fifteen  Manhattan  baths. 

These  floating  baths  have,  in  the  past,  provided  a  much- 
needed  opportunity  for  swimming,  especially  to  boys,  during 
the  hot  months.  It  is,  however,  becoming  increasingly  difficult 
to  find  suitable  locations  for  the  floating  baths  in  the  rivers, 
because  of  the  contamination  of  the  water  with  sewage.  Their 
maintenance,  in  salaries  and  repairs,  involves  a  considerable 
expense.  The  average  cost,  per  floating  bath,  in  1904,  for 
Manhattan  was  $4^107.23,  The  average  cost  per  floating  bath 
in  Brooklyn  was,  for  the  same  year,  $3,514.40.  The  cost  of 
repairing  the  Manhattan  baths  was,  for  that  year,  $10,665.05. 
With  the  increasing  age  of  these  floating  baths  the  annual  ex- 
penditures for  repairs  will  doubtless  exceed  that  amount. 

Early  in  the  fall  these  baths  are  towed  to  Brooklyn  for 
storage  until  the  following  summer.  In  the  spring  they  are  re- 
paired and  towed  back  to  their  respective  locations.     A  large 

ii6 


AIKEN. 
iRUNNER  ■ 
^CTS- 


W«MARTIN    AIKEN 


MAIN  FLOCfi  PLAN- 


force  of  men  is  employed  during  the  winter  to  'watch'  them. 
This  watching  cost  the  city,  for  the  Manhattan  baths  alone, 
$617.75  for  the  week  ending  November  18,  1905. 

It  is  the  general  opinion  that  this  form  of  bath  is  no  longer 
practicable  for  New  York  City.  Owing  to  the  unwholesome 
conditions  of  the  water  in  which  they  are  necessarily  placed,  if 
they  are  to  be  used  at  all,  it  is  believed  unwise  to  continue  their 
use  for  many  more  seasons.  As  a  recreational  feature  they  will 
be  difficult  to  replace.  To  a  large  part  of  the  population  of  New 
York  the  ocean  is  inaccessible.  It  is  the  realization  of  the  need 
of  some  substitute  for  the  floating  baths  that  has  lead  the  city 
to  widen  the  scope  of  two  of  the  new  Manhattan  baths  by  the 
installation  of  pools. 


117 


TI-IE  BUREAU  OF  SEWERS. 

The  organization  of  the  bureau  of  sewers  corresponds  to 
the  organization  of  the  bureau  of  highways.  The  titular  head 
of  the  bureau  is  the  superintendent.  As  in  the  case  of  the 
bureau  of  highways,  the  superintendent  is  a  purely  political 
appointment  and  the  present  incumbent  of  the  office  is  a  Tam- 
many Hall  leader.  The  practical  head  of  the  bureau  is  the  chief 
engineer,  upon  whom  devolves  the  responsibility  of  maintaining 
and  constructing  sewers. 

According  to  the  annual  report  of  the  borough  president 
for  1905,  the  mileage  of  sewers  in  Manhattan  on  December  31 
of  that  year  was  511. 30,  the  number  of  catch  basins  being  6,181. 
The  sewers  are  combination  drains,  that  is,  both  rainfall  and 
sewage  are  carried  off  through  one  conduit. 

In  the  down-town  section  of  the  borough  below  Fourteenth 
Street,  most  of  the  sewers  are  very  old,  some  of  them  having 
been  built  more  than  half  a  century  ago.  Notwithstanding  the 
age  of  these  sewers,  it  is  asserted  by  the  chief  engmeer  of  the 
bureau  of  sewers  that  they  generally  perform  good  service  if 
kept  clean  and  in  good  repair.  If,  however,  a  contractor,  in 
the  course  of  other  sub-surface  construction  work,  happens  to 
disturb  one  of  the  ancient  sewers,  the  walls  are  more  than 
likely  to  crumble  and  fall  in,  owing  to  the  deterioration  of  the 
cement. 


It  is  obvious,  therefore,  that  these  sev;ers  cannot  be  de- 
pended upon  to  last  indefinitely.  Sooner  or  later  they  must 
be  reconstructed  or  replaced.  The  bureau  of  sewers  has  no 
fixed  policy  in  this  connection  and  the  cost  of  general  recon- 
struction has  never  been  estimated  by  the  borough  president's 
engineers.  The  plan  now  pursued  is  to  rebuild  the  down-town 
sewers  as  occasion  demands,  work  being  undertaken  when 
there  are  complaints  of  inefificiency,  or  when  sewers  are  in 
such  a  state  of  dilapidation  that  rebuilding  is  imperative. 
Should  it  become  necessary  to  begin  general  reconstruction, 
engineers  may  have  to  resort  to  tunneling,  for  the  down-town 
sewers  are  placed  at  an  average  depth  of  fourteen  feet  below 

ii8 


the  surface,  and  are  covered  with  a  net  work  of  pipes  and 
conduits,  which,  in  turn,  are  covered  with  expensive  pave- 
ments. The  problem  of  reconstructing  sewers  in  the  built-up 
portions  of  the  city  is  closely  related  to  the  question  of  pipe 
galleries,  previously  discussed.  A  possible  solution  lies  in  the 
building  of  a  combination  pipe  gallery  and  sewer. 

The  rebuilding  of  sewers  is  paid  by  the  city  as  a  whole,  while 
the  property  holders  benefited  are  assessed  for  alterations  and 
new  sewers.  A  considerable  number  of  streets  in  Manhattan, 
particularly  in  the  northern  section  of  the  island,  are  still 
unsewered.  Many  of  these  streets  are  unimproved.  The  chief 
engineer  of  the  bureau  of  sewers  believes  it  would  be  an 
economical  policy  to  provide  them  with  sewers  before  they  are 
covered  with  costly  pavements.  To  this  policy  objection  is 
made  by  property  owners  who  would  be  required  to  defray 
the  cost  of  the  construction. 


THE  MOST  IMPORTANT  DRAINAGE  PROBLEM. 

The  most  important  drainage  problem  facing  the  bureau 
of  sewers  arises  out  of  the  derangement  of  the  sewer  system 
which  will  result  from  the  building  of  new  underground  rail- 
ways. The  building  of  the  first  subway  necessitated  the  read- 
justment of  the  sewer  system  all  along  its  route.  The  work  of 
improvement  now  in  progress  at  the  New  York  Central  and 
the  proposed  Pennsylvania  terminals  disrupted  the  sewer  sys- 
tem in  their  vicinity.  The  railroad  companies  have  undertaken 
to  restore  the  sewers  disturbed  by  them,  subject  to  the  ap- 
proval of  the  bureau  of  sewers,  but  in  the  work  of  rebuilding 
all  water  pipes  and  sewers  have  been  crowded  to  the  house 
lines,  rendering  them  additionally  inaccessible,  and  their  future 
maintenance  more  costly. 

The  bureau  of  sewers  disclaims  responsibility  for  this  con- 
dition on  the  ground  that  the  work  of  reconstructing  such 
sewers,  particularly  those  disturbed  by  the  Pennsylvania  im- 
provement, is  actually  done  under  the  supervision  of  the  rapid 
transit  commission.  In  this  connection  a  section  of  the  Rapid 
Transit  Law  provides : 

"Whenever  the  construction  of  any  railway,  depressed  way,  subway 
or  tunnel  under  the  provisions  of  this  act  shall  interfere  with,  disturb  or 
endanger  any  sewer,  water  pipe,  gas  pipe  or  other  duly  authorized  sub- 
surface structures,  the  work  of  construction  at  such  points  shall  be  con- 
ducted in  the  City  of  New  York  in  accordance  with  the  reasonable  require- 
ments of  the  commissioner  of  public  works." 

119 


It  is  asserted  by  the  chief  engineer  of  sewers  that  the 
words  "reasonable  requirements"  give  the  commissioner  of 
pubHc  works  no  authority  over  the  acts  of  the  rapid  transit 
commission.  In  other  words,  according  to  this  view,  the  com- 
missioner must  approve  the  plans  adopted  by  the  Rapid  Transit 
engineers,  even  though  they  involve  detriment  to  the  drainage 
system. 

While  recognizing  the  gravity  of  this  situation,  the  bureau 
of  sewers  has  formulated  no  plans  to  obviate  such  conditions 
in  the  building  of  new  subways.  The  chief  engineer  states, 
however,  that  in  designing  future  subways,  engineers  in  charge 
of  the  sub-surface  works  of  the  city,  should  be  consulted  to  the 
end  that  the  limited  amount  of  space  which  is  available  for  the 
underground  pipe  and  drainage  systems  after  the  subways  are 
built  may  be  properly  apportioned. 

That  this  policy  is  rational  and  conforms  to  the  obvious  in- 
tention of  the  provisions  of  the  Rapid  Transit  Law,  above 
quoted,  cannot  be  questioned.  It  is  clearly  incumbent  upon  the 
borough  president  to  demand  that  no  plans  for  future  subways 
are  approved  that  do  not  make  adequate  provision  for  the  drain- 
age system. 


1 20 


%^' 


This  book  is  DUE  on  the  last  date  stamped  below 


NOV  6    1950 


PEC;2  ;^ 


m 


2  6  ^9^^ 


LD-URL      F£B  S 


IfEC'D  LD'U»i^ 
9  196a 


/B  2  6 1968' 


REITD  IWJfC 


I'unu  L-9-3om-8,'28 


^   ^158  00301    45'} 


UC  SOUTHERN  REGIONAL  LIBRARY  FACILITY 


AA    001  177  109    4 


